


Loss, Recovery, and Parsnips

by snick_snack



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Flayn is ten years old but knows how to work her dad to get him to like Byleth, Grieving, Healing, Just some cute gay farm action, M/M, farming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 38,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21668581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snick_snack/pseuds/snick_snack
Summary: Two men retreat to a small village in the valley, stricken by the deaths of their loved ones. With the help of dear young Flayn, they are pushed together, finding a new home with each other.Stardew Valley/Farm M!Setleth AU
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Seteth
Comments: 128
Kudos: 322





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WELCOME!! to a new fic! 
> 
> You dont need to know anything about Stardew Valley to read this. That's just the layout of the town they're in~ With the small change of the Joja store now being an old beaten down church where Seteth and Flayn live. There is a war mentioned in the game, which is where Byleth was before the story starts. 
> 
> I also.... might change the title.

The train rattled through the mountains, chugging up the steep inclines with difficulty. The evergreen trees stood tall and proud at the sides of the track, a different sight than what he would have seen in the cities he grew up in.

Byleth watched the countryside silently. He had been on the train for several hours now, and he had never felt so restless. He had been trained to stand still for hours, only moving on orders, but sitting alone on a train was unbearable. 

When his father was pronounced dead, Byleth felt like the only connection he really had to the world was gone. His superiors had forced him on leave. He spent days just standing at his father’s gravestone, staring at it. When he closed his eyes, he could still see his father’s body, lying on that table in the medical tent, unmoving, eyes closed. 

A few of his friends from his time at the academy had come to the funeral. One of them had asked what he planned to do on leave. He never gave them an answer. He had barely even looked at them. They just looked at each other and left him to it.

The first night he had slept there, again his gravestone in that soldier’s graveyard, cold and alone. It rained. He woke up miserable. 

The third night after, he went back to the house he and his father had shared in the city. It was a small, humble place. They never needed much. At some point, he would have to go through the things his dad had collected over the years. 

Shuffling through his dad’s things, he found an old wooden chest at the back of his closet. It wasn’t locked, and the hinge squealed when he opened it. Inside had been pictures of his dad and some man Byleth had never met. His dad looked around twelve in most of the pictures, standing in front of long corn stalks, smiling proudly. 

Under all those pictures, he found a letter, written in some handwriting he didn’t recognize. 

“Jeralt, I hope you enjoyed your summer out her in Stardew Valley. One day, when I’m gone, it will be yours. Perhaps you will raise your children out here? Or perhaps you will pass this land to them?” 

It was signed by the man, a name he did know. His great uncle who’d ended up dying early from illness. The only family his dad had ever talked about. And sure enough, he found that his father did leave it to him.

He had only heard stories of Stardew Valley. It wasn’t even on most maps. Tucked away deep in the mountains, away from the politics of the world and the noise of the city. Most trains simply sped through it, not bothering the stop at the station there. 

But it would tonight. 

The woman working the ticket booth hadn’t even heard of the station there and had to click through several files on her computer to put in his request. The conductor had even come to his seat on the train to ask if the ticket was correct. No one stopped at Stardew Valley. 

The sun was beginning to set as they came to a dark tunnel through the mountain. The train began to slow down, as if to stop. On the other side, an old, rundown platform with a cover. 

The train stopped, and the man in his coach called the station. Stardew Valley. This was his stop.

He gathered his one bag, mostly full of clothes, and got off. The train didn’t waste any time in leaving, disappearing down the opposite tunnel. 

It was quiet. 

There was no motorized humming from streetlamps or neon business signs, no engines running, no people talking. There was nothing but the soft chirping of crickets and a soft wind blowing through the trees. 

Byleth took in a breath, almost surprised at how clean the air was. The city had been stuffy and polluted; the battlefield had been dusty and smelled too much of iron. Here there was just the smell of pine and wildflowers blooming in the new spring weather. 

He stepped off the platform, taking in everything.

There wasn’t much here. Besides the platform there was just another wide building across the tracks. He walked over and knocked. No answer. He twisted the doorknob. Locked. He glanced inside one of the windows. It looked like it was kept up, but it was dark inside. 

There was still a bit of sunlight left, so he pulled out the map he had printed out before he left. There hadn’t been a lot of information about the station out here, but he had gotten a vague lay out of the surrounding town. The town actually lay a way down the mountains. So, he was in for a hike.

Thankfully, there was a worn path. He hoped this was leading him in the right the direction, but as the trail grew wider, he could see lights on the horizon. He passed a beautiful house on the trail, seeing a few shadows move inside it. 

The pathway led past the house, down toward an old rundown building, following alongside a river. He stopped for a moment to stare out at it, the water flowing gently downhill. The water was almost impossibly clear. Even in the dying sunlight, fish could be seen below the surface. 

Perhaps he would have to take up fishing again. It had once been his favorite pastime, but as he grew older, he didn’t have time for it. 

Continuing down the hills, he finally came to a brick road. The road led to a small-town square, surrounded by what looked to be a small clinic, a local market store, a few houses, and a saloon. Byleth stopped by the store, looking around. 

There weren’t many people around, a few passing by, disappearing into one of the houses, and others going into the saloon. 

As he was watching these people, a man came up beside him.

“Well hello there! It’s not often we get visitors here!” He was an older man, graying, lines setting into his face. “I’m the mayor here. Can I give you directions anywhere?” 

Byleth pulled out his father’s will, speaking of his new land ownership. 

“My goodness. No one’s lived out there in… over thirty years.” The mayor paused for a second. “Tell you what, I’ll walk you out there. If that old house is still intact, I won’t stop you from staying there, but if it ain’t, you’re free to stay at my house ‘till it is.” 

The mayor kept talking as they walked, leaving the small town. They passed by a small bus station, an old bus sitting there, one wheel missing and several cracked windows. Byleth assumed it didn’t run anymore.

“That bus used to take us to the desert. Not anymore. We haven’t had the money to fix it up.” 

Past the bus stop was an old rusted gate, barely hanging onto its hinges. The mayor carefully pushed it open, the gate squeaking and fighting him. 

“Well, kid, this is it.” He spread his arms out. “This is the old farm. It’s been left to nature for quite a while.” They walked up to the house sitting just inside the gates. The door was unlocked but looked alright. It’d need some grease, and maybe a new handle, but was sturdy enough. They opened it, stepping into the house. 

It was more of just a cabin. A single room with an old television set, a bed, and a fireplace greeted them. Simple. Byleth set his bag down on the floor by the door, going to the bed. It was covered in dust, like the rest of the place, but he could work with that. 

“Doesn’t seem like the old place has sprung any leaks. That’s good to see. Might want to check for spiders, though. The valley is crawling with them at this time of year.” Byleth answered with a shrug. “I can’t believe that old man left his land to his nephew, who then left it to you.” 

The mayor then sighed. “I’ll leave you to it then. We have a carpenter in town, should you need anything fixed.” He nodded to Byleth and left. That old gate’s cry could be heard through the walls. 

Finally, alone again, Byleth took in the place for real. It looked well built. If his great uncle built it, he had been very skilled. He looked outside the one window. It was grimy and covered in dirt so he couldn’t see much, but the vast section of land that was now his stretched out past it. 

It was overgrown, trees and grass and rocks covering the land. He wished he had the foresight to bring tools with him, but he’d manage. He had at least brought some seeds with him. 

He shook out the bed sheets, knocked the dust off them, and lit the firewood that still sat in the fireplace. He tried to turn on the television set, but it just fizzled for a second and shut back off. Byleth just sighed to himself and lay on the bed, staring up the ceiling. 

He was truly alone out here. No one knew him. The mayor hadn’t even asked his name. He had no friends waiting for him, and knowing his own social tendencies, he wouldn’t be making any at any time soon. 

But that was fine. It was what he wanted. To be alone. To mourn and wallow in his sadness. To be somewhere where his father had seemed happy. Where his father had been alive. 

His eyes drifted closed, sleep finding him. He didn’t dream for the first time since his father’s death. 

\---

The sun woke him. He blinked against the bright light flooding into the small room. If it hadn’t been for his stomach growling, he would have tried to go back to sleep for a few more hours. 

He sat on the front steps, chewing on a meal bar he had brought with him, staring out over the land he inherited, trying to decide where to start. 

Where the evening air had been filled with the soft sounds of insects, the morning was meant for the birds. A tree beside his new house seemed to house several of them. He didn’t look to see if he could find their nests, but they rustled around in the leaves enough to tell him that was their home. 

He’d start with getting rid of the rocks laying about. 

His first goal was to move enough around to open up enough space to plant a few of the seeds he had brought with him. He didn’t know much about farming, but he knew enough that he had to plant early if he wanted to have a decent harvest later. 

He used the rocks to form a little wall around the soil he was planning on using. Something to hopefully keep animals like deer and whatever else was in the valley out. He hadn’t seen anything besides the birds and a few squirrels, but these kind of backwater places always had wildlife everywhere.

For the first time in a long time, his mind was quiet. The only thing he had to do was move rocks. The sun washed over his skin, soaking into his clothes, and his sweat rolled down his back. It was peaceful, serene. 

The one thing he hadn’t felt since he was a small child. 

The last time he had been this content, he had been around nine, on a dock somewhere in the north with his father, a line cast out in the water. After that, his father had gotten busy with his job in the army. They’d moved across the country more time than he could count before he turned eighteen and joined the army himself. 

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, almost midday, he stopped and looked around. He had cleared a better path from the house to the gate, along with his small gardening patch. 

He had tried breaking the soil with his hands, but it was hard and crusted over from years of neglect. He’d need to find some tools before he could get anything planted or do anymore work. 

The town nearby had had a market. Perhaps they would have what he needed. 

It was probably a good idea to check the town out as well. 

Whether or not he’d interact with the townspeople much or not, he should at least show his face. At some point he would have to sell what he grew. 

The gate was even more unbearable during the day. He’d have to look for something to fix it too. 

He walked by the old broken-down bus again. In the midday light, he could see that even the engine of the old thing was missing a few pieces. It seemed like once something broke around here, it was neglected until it fell completely apart. 

The town market store was busy this morning. Once he entered, several pairs of eyes turned to look at him. 

He had never been known for his expressiveness, his face usually remaining still and stoic, so he didn’t react. He just went toward the back, toward what looked to be the tool section of the store. The people’s eyes followed him, continuing to stare into his back as he looked through the selection. 

There was a lot more to choose from than he thought there would be. For such a small town, the items seemed fairly high quality too. As he begun to gather his things to take them to the cashier, he spotted the wall piled high with seeds and fertilizers. Seeds of vegetables you just couldn’t get in the city. 

After he got the soil and everything turned up, he’d have to come back. 

The man working the register eyed him suspiciously, ringing him out without so much as a greeting. Byleth had plenty of savings to use, having rarely bought anything besides food and the necessary clothing with any of his pay checks. The various pairs of eyes followed him again as he walked out. 

He quickly shut the gate as soon as he was back on his new land. He sat on the steps to the house and looked over what he’d bought. 

An old-fashioned watering can—for now, that was all he needed. He wouldn’t be able to grow much until he got a feel for the soil—a hoe, an axe, a pickaxe, and a few small books about the local plants and wildlife in the area. He hadn’t studied up much on the area before packing up and moving out here. 

The sun began to dip down toward the surrounding mountains, and Byleth realized he was hungry. Another meal bar awaited him inside, but that sounded kind of gross right now. 

Part of him didn’t want to venture out again just to get stared at by the townspeople, but that saloon he’d seen last night might have food. And it was better than the stale plastic-y bar in his bag. 

He picked up his new tools and put them in the house, locking it up as he left. Maybe tomorrow he could figure out how to build a little storage bin for them out here. But for now, inside would do. 

He got to the town square again, watching most everyone file into the saloon themselves. Byleth hung back for a moment, not wanting to join the huge crowd. Well, huge for this kind of town. 

As he hung back, he noticed a man and a young girl skipping next to him, walking along a path toward the river. Something about them struck him as different. The man was wearing finely pressed priest’s clothes, while the little girl just had a sundress on. He watched them as they approached a bridge.

Byleth was about to leave when the little girl turned around and saw him. Even from a distance, he could tell she was giving him a huge smile. She waved over enthusiastically, tugging on her father’s shirt. The man said something to her, and she nodded and followed him across the bridge, looking at him over her shoulder. She waved one last time before Byleth decided to head into that saloon.

It was loud inside, a jukebox blaring music garbled with static in the corner, and people talking louder than they needed to. He hadn’t been out there long, but some of the patrons were already on their second beer for the night. 

Unlike the market earlier, people were too busy with their friends and drinks to pay much attention to the new guy weaving through the tables to get to the counter. The only person who even looked at him was the bartender.

“Hey there. There’d been talk of a new face in town. What can I get for you?” 

“Just the special?” He didn’t care to look at a menu right now. 

The bartender nodded. “Hope you like salmon!” 

Byleth sat at one of the stools while he waited for the bartender to make his food. It was his turn to watch the people of the town now. 

There was one woman he noticed drinking more than her fair share on the other side of the bar, drunkenly calling out to someone who wasn’t answering her. A couple flirting in the corner by the jukebox, the mayor chatting with a matronly kind of woman. He met eyes with an angry looking man standing in the corner by the fireplace, draining a can of cheap beer by himself. He quickly looked away from him. 

Everyone in their own little worlds, with their own little friends. 

Once upon a time, he had been surprisingly popular. All throughout his school life, and even into his army service, people had been drawn to him. Despite his best efforts, people fought to sit at the same table as him. He had never cared about such things, and maybe that was what brought others to him. His lack of outward emotions, the fact that he didn’t follow latest fads, or even really pay attention to anything must have been intriguing to his peers. 

And here, so far, no one had seemed curious about him. It was a nice change of pace. 

Of course, it might just be small town superstition about the new guy who’s only been seen in black and is taking over an abandoned farm. He was sure the mayor would have spread that around already. But that didn’t really matter either. 

The bartender came back out, dropping a plate of cooked salmon with various vegetables around it in front of him. Byleth thanked him and the bartender went to tend to other customers, leaving him to eat his meal in peace. 

He hadn’t been expecting much from a small town bar but the food was really good. He would have to check them out again. He finished up his meal and thanked the man behind the bar, getting up to leave again.

At this point, most of the townspeople were two or three drinks in, laughing and talking loudly. The noise of the bar was getting to be too much and Byleth was thankful for the cool evening air as the door shut behind him.

Something he hadn’t noticed last night was the stars. 

They were so bright out here. 

The cities he and his father had lived in had been so bright, even at night, that it was impossible to see the stars. Sometimes, even the moon was blocked out. 

When they used to go on their fishing trips to a small secluded lake, they would watch the stars at night as they waited for the fish to bite. They never caught anything those nights. 

But here the sky was even brighter. He had to wonder why his father never brought him out here. He seemed to like it enough to keep his childhood pictures of the place in a special box. 

Byleth had never met that uncle, though, so maybe something happened. His dad never really talked about any of their family. He had never met his grandparents, never knew if his dad had any siblings, and only knew that his mother died in childbirth. 

And now, as far as he knew, he was alone in the world. But that was okay.


	2. Hostility

The soil was better off than he thought it would be. Within just a few days, the seeds he’d planted and broken through the dirt. He figured he would have had to do more work to get them to sprout. 

He had cleared out a good area of space in front of the house. Byleth had cut down the saplings and other trees over-running the field, stacking the wood he’d gathered next to the house. It wasn’t cold out, but he noticed there was a lot of holes in the old wooden fence surrounding the place. 

He had walked the entire piece of land, surveying what he would need to do to get it back in order. Looking at the dimensions on paper was much different than actually walking it. It was much bigger than he thought. It would take him months to clear it and get it together. 

But it wasn’t like he had anything better to do. 

He didn’t want to go back to the military. He didn’t even really care to go back to a city any time soon. The townspeople here avoided him, finally just letting him breathe for once. 

Byleth was at the wood pile, splitting a few of them to measure them against the broken boards of his fence, when he heard the sound of shoes crunching on the gravel pathway by his front gate. 

He looked up and saw a small girl with curled green hair standing there, watching him. She was wearing what looked to be an imitation princess dress, frilly and poofy around the skirt. 

“Hello mister!” She called out to him, waving her hand over her head.

Byleth nodded to her, getting ready to swing his axe down on the plank he was working with again. 

“What are you doing?” Byleth stopped, sighing softly to himself.

“What are you doing?” He asked back, setting the axe in the dirt. 

“Watching you.” Her face broke into a grin. She grabbed the old rusty bars of the gate and poked her face through them.

“Don’t do that.” 

“Why not?” 

Byleth rose his eyebrow at her. This girl had been here for a minute and a half, and already she was exhausting. 

“Why did you move here?” 

Byleth didn’t answer her. Maybe she’d run back off to her mom if she didn’t get an answer out of him. 

He went back to the pile of wood, splitting it where he hoped it would fit the posts. He should have bought a tape measure or something, but he couldn’t find one at the market store. 

“Are you going to build something?” The girl tried to pull on the gate, but thankfully the market store did have locks. The new lock glinted in the sun. He saw her glaring at it from the corner of his vision.

“Why’d you lock the gate?” She pulled it again, the old rusty thing squeaking a bit, the wood around it groaning. 

She was persistent, this kid. Byleth was skilled ignoring people at this point in his life. He didn’t like talking much anyway, so most people assumed he was always ignoring them. 

“My father used to let me play here.” She started talking again after giving up on the gate. “I chased squirrels!” 

So now she was a dog? 

“Go find your dad, kid.” Byleth finally spoke again to her. 

“Father and I live across the river.” This kid would have been kidnapped in a heartbeat in the city. 

Byleth glanced at the sky. It was well into the afternoon. He wouldn’t have time to start the fence today, but if he could finish up the wood, he would probably be good to start tomorrow. 

Just as Byleth was making time measurements in his head, he heard a man’s voice shouting from the gravel path.

“Flayn! There you are!” 

Byleth watched as the man ran down his pathway. He was dressed again in those priest’s robes, bright green hair flowing behind him. He noticed he had a thin beard as well. 

The man stopped and knelled down to hug the girl. His daughter. 

“Father, look!” The girl pointed to him. 

“Yes, that man lives here.” 

“But why?” 

“It was passed down to him.” The mayor had spoken about him. 

Byleth didn’t feel like intervening. Let the man tell his kid what he wanted about him. Byleth had no reason to interact with the girl at all after she left him alone. It didn’t matter what she might think.

“He’s really quiet. He only said three things to me!” 

The man glanced over to him. “Some people are just like that, sweetie. Let’s go home now.”

“But father! I want to talk to him!” 

“He doesn’t want to talk, Flayn.” 

The girl pouted, folding her arms. Byleth almost scoffed at her, but she was just a child. Children acted out sometimes. She couldn’t have been more than ten years old.

“Go on. If you aren’t back at the church before me, there’ll be no dessert tonight.” 

The girl gasped, running off down the path back toward town. Byleth sighed in relief. 

The man stayed.

“Excuse me, sir.” Byleth let his head fall for a moment before looking over at him. 

“Yes?” 

“I must apologize for her. She is… quite the talker. And very curious.” 

Byleth just shrugged. 

“I know you are new here. I do not wish to scare you off, but you would be wise to at least acquaint yourself with the other townsfolk.”

“No thanks.” He came here to be alone. That’s what he would do. As far as he was concerned, the only people he needed to talk to was the bartender at the saloon, and a few words with the cashier at the store. 

“Suit yourself.” He finally went to follow after his daughter, leaving Byleth in peace once again. 

\---

He woke with the sun the next morning, fixing himself a quick breakfast before going to check on his plants. Once he made sure their soil was moist and there were no bugs crawling around, he went to the stash of wood he’d made yesterday.

He’d grabbed a box of nails and a hammer at the market a few days ago, just in case the roof were to leak, but now they would be for the fence. After that man and his daughter left him alone yesterday, he’d confirmed the length of the planks he’d made, and they were fine. 

It was still early spring, and here by the mountains, it was cool. He was glad to have brought a few of his thicker flannel shirts with him just in case. 

The rhythm of smacking the hammer into the nails to attach the boards to the posts was soothing to him. 

This was the kind of work he had always enjoyed. Something where he didn’t have to think about the world, just focus on the project he was given. 

In a way, that’s what the whole farm was meant to be. Maybe his great uncle had felt the same. Maybe his dad had. But why hadn’t he ever talked about this place? 

The sun climbed higher in the sky, and as it did, it began to warm up. It was set to be a much hotter day than it had been. He rolled up his sleeves, trying to cool off a bit. 

As he got further from his house, the overgrowth got worse and worse. Grass up to his waist, the trees older and thicker. Rocks and fallen branches started getting in the way of his progress. But he was running out of wood anyway. 

He would have to make some more planks and clear out the land back here as well. 

As he was looking through brush, he saw what looked like a gate toward the back of the property. He stepped over a log laying in his way, covered with grass and fallen leaves from past seasons, to go toward it. He hadn’t know there was a back entrance to the farm.

This gate was also old and rusted, terrible green paint peeling off it. It also had an old lock latched to it. He tested it. It held firm. 

He would have to cut it off and get a new one. Looking at the hinges, they were terrible. He really didn’t want to touch them, they were so rusty. 

“Father look! That man is there again!” 

Byleth froze, refusing to look up from the hinges. 

Lovely.

That little girl was back. 

He could hear her footsteps on the grass past his back fence. “Hello!” 

Byleth just looked at her, keeping his face neutral. 

“My name is Flayn! What’s yours?” 

“Byleth.” If he didn’t tell her she’d probably cry or ask until his patience was worn down.

She paused for a moment, seeming to think about it. “That’s a funny name.” 

So was Flayn. He didn’t say anything. 

“My father made a picnic for me!” She pointed back to where her father was eyeing him cautiously.

“So join him.” 

“You should come too!” 

He looked at her father. He had to admit, the man was very attractive. Especially in the bright sunlight. Something about it just played well on his green hair.

He was outside of his priest robes today, wearing a simple white button-down shirt cuffed at his wrists and some khaki pants. The same kind his father had always worn. Dad pants. That was a deal breaker. 

“Why?” 

“You need friends!” 

He rose an eyebrow at the little girl. Flayn. She beamed brightly up at him. The more he looked at her, the harder it was to say no. She was a very sweet girl.

“No thanks.” 

Her smile fell. She turned and ran back to her dad, who was still watching him from the blanket, sitting stiffly. He watched as the man’s shoulder’s fell. The girl jumped in excitement over something, grabbing one of the bags of food on the blanket. 

“Father says you can join us!” She shouted, running across the field behind his fence. 

He shook his head. “I’m busy.” 

“But it’s lunch time.” She wasn’t wrong. But he wasn’t joining strangers for a meal. At least not in a capacity where he would be expected to talk to them. 

She held her small bag of food out to show him. It was grilled fish. It seemed fish was a popular thing to eat around here. Byleth just shook his head.

Her dad called to her, and she pouted again and walked off, finally going back to her dad. 

Byleth sighed in relief and continued to inspect the back fencing. It was worse than it was by the house. A lot of the posts would have to be replaced as well. At least he had plenty of wood around here. 

He carefully crawled his way back to the house. Pulling his axe from the small chest he’d made last night, he got to work. 

By the time the sun fell, he was drenched in sweat and his arms felt ready to fall off. His stomach burned with hunger, but he really didn’t feel like walking out to the saloon for a meal. 

After shuffling through what he still had in his bag, he sighed. Nothing. He had one more meal bar, which he typically tried to save for breakfast. Now he had to go. 

He stashed his axe away and went inside to change his shirt. He pulled a clean gray t-shirt from his bag and threw it on. He probably still smelled, but he’d bathe after he got food. This time of night, the townspeople would be several drinks in and wouldn’t notice him anyway. 

The bartender greeted him as usual, not even needing to ask whether he wanted the special or not. It was just a simple bowl of soup today, filled with veggies and chicken. Byleth breathed in the steam coming off it, feeling his aching body start to relax. 

He heard the door behind him chime but didn’t turn to look. He barely even registered it until the stool next to him was suddenly occupied.

It was the same green-haired man from earlier.

Byleth looked at him from the corner of his eye, pretending to just stare into his bowl of soup. Up closer to him, the man looked… tired. There were hints of circles under his eyes. 

The man ordered the same thing as him, thanking the bartender when he brought out his own bowl. 

“I figured you would be too good for the saloon.” The man spoke, not even looking at him. 

“There’s food.” Byleth answered, turning his head toward him slightly. Not enough to open conversation, but enough to tell him to back off. 

“My daughter is quite insistent on you being her friend.” He sounded almost offended he refused.

“She’s a child.” 

He sighed. “She is.” He turned in his stool to face him. “Why did you come here, Byleth?” 

For a moment, Byleth was shocked the man knew his name. But then he remembered his daughter was quite talkative.

“I wanted to.” 

“You wanted the small-town life? You wanted to try your hand at farming? You thought it would be easier to make money out here?” The man’s tone was accusatory. 

Byleth shrugged. He had dealt with angry people before. His intentions were always questioned by those who weren’t wooed by his quiet demeanor. He didn’t own him anything. 

“Do you think you’re better than us?” 

“No.” 

“Then why do the others in town say you refuse to look at them? Why do you refuse to talk to my daughter? No one in this town even knows your name?” 

“What good would my name do for you?” Byleth set his spoon down, looking head on at the man now. 

He paused. “It’s… common courtesy….” 

“But would it benefit you?” 

He didn’t answer. 

“Then leave me alone.” 

Byleth quickly finished his soup, leaving a tip for the bartender, before nodding to the man and walking out. 

Laying in the old creaky bed, he let himself wonder.

What did he want from this place?

He wanted to be alone. He wanted to finally be left alone like he always wanted. He didn’t want to have fuss with people trying to be his friend, or starting fights with him, or anything. 

He wanted a life where he didn’t have to think about how his dad was never coming back. 

The only person in the world he had ever really wanted to be around. And he was gone.

Byleth felt his eyes pricking with tears starting to come up. He hadn’t cried since he was three. He knew it was normal to cry but something told him it was wrong to cry. 

He tried to breathe through it, tried to focus on everything he needed to do tomorrow, but it wasn’t working. He kept thinking about how his dad had been here as a child and how he could never visit. 

His gravestone wasn’t even out here. 

Maybe he could make something out here, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t like his body was just under his feet. It was hundreds of miles away in a plain grave next to everyone else who died in a pointless war. 

Why had he even agreed to go? 

He knew it was a stupid reason to go to war. But he had to follow his dad. If he didn’t, something bad would happen. He knew it. 

But something bad happened even though he was there. 

He hadn’t been able to do anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Seteth~~~
> 
> It hurts my soul that he would almost certainly wear terrible khakis and polos. ugh Seteth pls


	3. Chapter 3

Byleth quickly fell into a routine. Wake up with the sun, have a small breakfast, tend to his plants, then move on clearing out the rest of the land. He had never been weak, but it seemed farm work took different muscles than fighting did. Every evening he’d go to bed, absolutely exhausted. 

But it was good. Healing. 

Out here alone in the valley, it was peaceful. He had no one to answer to and no one expected anything from him. There were certain things he missed from the city, but overall he felt much better out here. 

He definitely missed having a real stove. The bar had great food, he just didn’t like have to buy a meal every night. He had taken to trying to cook over a fire outside, but his dad had been the one who was good at an open fire. He just ended up burning most everything. 

There wasn’t exactly an appliance store in town. He couldn’t just go out and buy a stove. So, he was stuck with charcoal as food, or bar food. 

Either way it wasn’t a big deal to him. He just didn’t like venturing out much. And the townspeople had started to take notice he was there. Most of them were at the bar every night. A few had even tried to talk to him, their words slurred greatly by alcohol. 

His dad had always told him to be more social, but he didn’t like it. He didn’t like how people felt the need to fill every bit of silence. The few people he considered good friends understood that about him and complied. 

It wasn’t really their fault. It was natural to be curious, as annoying as it may have been to him. 

Getting out of bed this morning, he heard rain pounding on the old roof over his head. He had wondered about leaks earlier, but there wasn’t much he could do fix something he didn’t know was there. He guessed he’d find out today. 

Looking outside, he realized the farm would be too muddy for him to get much work done out there. The area closest to the house was fine, but farther out it seemed like the rain didn’t simply run off. He’d end up getting no work done out there.

And there wasn’t much to do in the house. He had gotten the television back to working, but it only picked up local stations, mostly airing the news and children’s television. He wasn’t one for much television anyway. 

Perhaps he could go out toward the south of town. It was sure to be quiet today, and he had never gone that far out. He had barely been out in the forest or up the mountain path by his fences. 

Putting on the windbreaker jacket he had brought with him, the only jacket he brought, he stepped outside, the rain crashing against the hood noisily. 

The air was cooler than it had been the last few days. With summer quickly approaching, the heat had been getting more intense. But today, the wind was high and combined with the rain, gave it a chill. 

Trudging through the mud, Byleth made his way down the southern path out of town. A hint of salt on air hit him. As he made his way down, the soft sound of waves crashing against the shore followed. 

The ocean. 

A small part of him got excited. Byleth had always loved being close to water, but especially the ocean. He had even almost gone into the navy rather than the army, just be on a boat all the time. 

But being a grown man who kept his emotions in check, he didn’t run the rest of the way there. 

The sea stretched out forever on the horizon. Despite the storm today, the water was fairly calm. How had he never noticed the ocean was so close to him? 

Of course, he had been very focused on his new farmland. 

He felt his boots sink into the wet sand as he got closer to the water. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the salty, rainy air. He almost took his boots off to stick his feet in the water, but thought better of it. 

Glancing around, he noticed a few piers stretching out into the water. On one of them, he noticed what looked like a shack. Curious, he made his way over there.

As he got closer, he noticed the sign signaling a bait and tackle shop. He stepped inside, shaking the rain off his jacket in the door. 

Inside the shop was warm, a small heater obvious in the corner. There were a few small glass cases lined up along the walls, filled with various tackles and fishing gear. For what it looked like outside, it was very nice and clean inside. 

And there, what he was looking for, on the wall. Various fishing poles lined up, ready for sale. 

The older man standing behind the counter had been watching him as he glanced around, and finally straightened up as he approached his register counter. 

Byleth pointed out to one of the poles on the wall. The man wordlessly handed it to him to look at. It was a cheaper one, but that was fine. It would work, and that was all he really wanted. He pulled some cash he kept on him out of his pocket and handed it to the man, taking the small price tag off the pole. 

The man nodded at him, Byleth returning it, and he left the shop. He liked that man. Quiet, easy to get on with, with a bonus of selling fishing equipment. 

He should have gotten some kind of bait while he was there, but he was too eager to cast his line into the water. He left the pier the shop was on and went to the one neighboring it, hoping that would keep anyone who wandered out today away from him. 

He got lucky in that someone had left what looked like some bait in one of the bins resting on the pier. It wasn’t live, it looked handmade, but Byleth took a small piece and stuck it on the hook anyway. 

Sitting down on the dock, he threw his line out into the water, watching the hook disappear under the surface. This small beach has the same peaceful energy the farm did. No one out here to disturb the silence, nothing to make him think about his previous life. 

Between the rain and the waves, his mind quickly went blank in the rhythm they cast. He could simply be without his mind interrupting. Time could pass without him knowing. 

He felt a tug on the line and yanked it back, the tug getting stronger. His first fish of the day. 

It wasn’t much of a fighter, but it was enough to give him the thrill he enjoyed. Reeling it in revealed it was tiny little thing, barely worth keeping, even if he had planned on keeping it, so he just unhooked it and tossed it back in the water.

He cast his line back out, knowing that now that the bait was gone, he likely wouldn’t get anything to bite. But that was okay. Sitting out here in the rain alone was enough. 

Byleth had just started to lose himself in the sound of the waves again when he heard the boards of the pier behind him begin to creak. He just sighed to himself, feeling his shoulders drop a bit before he composed himself. 

Sparing a glance over his shoulder, he saw it was that green haired guy. He was without his daughter today, thankfully. Although, if he was being honest, he liked her more than him. She was at least trying to be sweet, even if Byleth didn’t care for it.

He moved his eyes back to the sea before the man could catch him watching. 

He sat down on the other side of one of the pillars that was meant for a boat to dock on. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the man trying very hard not to look at him as well. 

The last time they had met, Byleth had lost his cool, something that didn’t happen very often. He wasn’t about to apologize but he didn’t like getting angry at anyone. That just wasn’t who he was. 

The two of them remained in strained silence for a while, nothing but the wind and sea and rain between them. After a few minutes, Byleth almost forgot he was there, lost again in the peace that the ocean brought. 

But there was another tug on his line, surprising him. 

This one was more of a fight than the previous one, but still relatively easy to pull in. The fish was bigger than the other one, but still pretty small. Byleth admired it for a moment, enjoying the way its scales shone. The fish here certainly were pretty. Must be the distance from the pollution of the city. 

The man huffed next to him as he tossed the fish back out. Byleth narrowed his eyes at him. His postured didn’t indicate anything hostile, but Byleth hadn’t said or done anything to warrant any response at all from him. 

The river was behind the farm. Perhaps he would be left alone there. 

Pulling his line back in and setting his hook so it wouldn’t catch, Byleth stood up, making to leave. 

“Wait, Byleth.” 

Byleth didn’t know why, but he stopped and turned to face the man.

“I apologize for the other day.” His apology was stiff and awkward. 

“Why?” 

The man gave him a strange look. Byleth just rose an eyebrow at him. 

When it became clear he didn’t have a response, Byleth turned back around ready to leave. 

“You don’t need to leave.” The man stood, putting the pole he hadn’t even casted out yet down. 

“I like being alone.” Byleth reluctantly turned back to him. He let some of his annoyance seep into his face. Maybe he’d get the picture. 

“No one truly likes being alone.” 

So now this random man knew him? Byleth just shook his head and walked down the pier back to the shore. He could hear the man calling him again, and the sound of his shoes hitting the wet wood. 

Back on the beach, the man caught him. Byleth hadn’t been walking particularly fast, content to just leisurely walk in the sand.

“I am trying to say I’m sorry for being hostile.” The man was clearly frustrated now. 

“I know.” 

“You can apologize too.” 

“For?” 

“For? For being rude and closed off!” 

“Look.” Byleth rubbed a hand across his face. “You don’t know me. I don’t know you. You don’t know how I am. I’m just this way.” 

That should have been that, but this man insisted on pushing.

“I don’t believe you.” 

He didn’t even know this guy’s name. He’d never bothered to ask, and his kid only referred to him as “father”. Which for her age, was understandable. 

“Whatever.” Byleth shrugged and moved to walk away again.

This time, he let him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol i said longer chapters but i am a struggling so nah
> 
> sorry this took so long work has been hell the past few weeks


	4. Chapter 4

The rain kept up for 3 days after. It left his farm a muddy mess. But his roof held up, and that was the only thing he was truly worried about. He’d already prepared his plant area to prevent flooding.

When the sun finally came out, Byleth sat out on his porch, enjoying the sunlight again. 

Having been out here for a while now, he had come to enjoy the bright sunshine and the rising heat. Unlike the city, it didn’t feel suffocating. The open air made the heat much easier to deal with. 

Byleth was outside, tilling through some of the soil in preparation for the upcoming harvest and sale, when he heard footsteps coming to his front gate.

He sighed heavily, knowing exactly who it was. That little girl. And probably her dad, here to yell at him again. 

Turning to see them, he found just Flayn, her knees and dress muddy and her face streaked with tears. He frowned, going over to the gate.

“Mr. Byleth? Can I come into your farm?” 

He couldn’t say no to a crying kid. He unlocked the gate and let it swing open for her. She muttered a thank you and came inside. 

Before he could ask her what was wrong, she started telling him.

“Father didn’t want me to play outside because of the mud. But I really wanted to! So I snuck out and I fell and Father got mad at me.” 

Byleth walked over to his cabin, motioning for her to sit on the steps, and went inside to grab a glass of water for her. 

“He worries too much.” She said as he handed it to her. 

Her father was a lot of things, and a worrier definitely seemed like one. 

“Mr. Byleth, do you fight with your father?” 

He thought back. He never really had. They had barely disagreed on anything growing up. The most had been on hiking trips, deciding what path to take or what a certain plant was.

“No. I never did.” 

“Why?”

He shrugged. “We just didn’t.” 

No one had asked him about his dad since the funeral. Everyone who attended it had danced around talking about his dad, whispering to each other instead. Of course, he had heard them, as he stared at the freshly turned dirt laying over his dad’s body.

“Is your father nice?”

“He was.” 

“Was?”

Did he tell this little girl his dad was dead? She was sweet and innocent, and it wasn’t really his place to ruin the little bubble she lived in. 

“What about your mother?” She just blew right past it. 

“I never knew her.” 

She fell silent for a minute. “That’s sad.” She said, more to herself.

He just shrugged. It wasn’t a big deal.

“My mother died two years ago.” 

Oh.

“Father still talks to her when he’s polishing the statues in the church. He does it quietly, so he thinks I won’t hear, but I do. He tells her about me.” 

Was that what his issue was? 

Flayn let out a heavy, overly dramatic sigh. “Can I stay here today, Mr. Byleth? I don’t want to get yelled at more.” 

If she stayed here, her dad would probably come and yell at them both, but he wasn’t going to kick her out. So, he just shrugged and nodded. He stood from the stairs and went back to pushing the muddy soil around.

She was being uncharacteristically quiet today, so really what would it hurt? 

As he got back to work, he turned over what she had said. The man had lost his wife. Maybe that was why he seemed so uptight and grumpy.

Byleth didn’t understand why marriage was such a big thing for most people, but having lost someone close to him recently, he could imagine the hole the man must have felt. Two years was more time than he’d had, but it still wasn’t a lot.

Thinking on it, he realized, he didn’t even know his name.

“Flayn, what’s your dad’s name?” He found himself asking before he could think better of it. 

The girl seemed startled. “What?” 

He turned to stare at her, waiting for her to give him an answer.

“Seteth. Why?” She finally processed the random question.

“He never gave it to me. I forgot to ask.” 

Flayn giggled a little. “Okay, Mr. Byleth.” She stood up from the stairs and came over to the muddy patch Byleth had been working on. “Is there something I can help you with?” 

He shook his head. 

“Come on, please?”

He stopped to think about it. “You could go over there with the trees and pick up the sticks on the ground. You can put them in a pile on the corner of the porch.” He could dry them out and burn them later in the year. 

She skipped off into the muddy mess under the trees he’d left behind. He watched her for a minute as she picked up the tiny sticks that had fallen. He shook his head and went back to his work. 

Occasionally she would come by to drop them off, humming some song and skipping along. Even after a fight with her dad, she was still unbearably happy. 

If he was being honest with himself, it was kind of nice. Everything was so quiet here on the farm, and usually that was more than fine for him. No one expected him to talk or listen to them. But maybe a little bit of noise was fine. 

He glanced up to see her going deeper into the overgrown trees. He’d already checked to make sure there wasn’t anything dangerous back there, so she would be fine. 

As he turned back to his growing pile of mud and weeds, he heard a throat clearing. Looks like her dad was here.

The man, Seteth, he guessed, was standing there at his gate, dressed in priest robes. Byleth still had gone to even look at the church building. 

“Is my daughter here?” 

Byleth just nodded and pointed to the overgrown area she was running through. His eyebrows drew together.

“What is she doing over there?” 

He pointed to the pile of sticks she had already put together. 

“You’re having her work?” 

He shook his head. “She offered.”

“But you don’t like her?” 

Byleth shrugged. “She’s a child. I’m a random grown man.” He set his tools down and went to the gate. “I also don’t like it being loud.” 

Seteth narrowed his eyes at Byleth. Byleth kept his face empty, just staring at him. 

After a long moment, Seteth finally sighed and looked away. “Well, thank you for allowing her to stay. She and I had a disagreement this morning and she was upset. At least she didn’t go to play by the river again.” 

That was concerning, but he brushed it off, shrugging. “She mentioned it.” 

A troubled look came over the man’s face, staring into the overgrown trees. 

Flayn chose that moment to come out, struggling under the awkward angle of the sticks she had found. “Mr. Byleth! Look how many I found!” She dropped them all on the pile she’d made and looked over, smiling brightly. Until she saw her dad standing there. 

Her face fell and she turned her face away from him. So, picking up sticks didn’t help her get over what happened earlier. She quickly ran back off into the trees. 

“She’s still mad at me.” Seteth said, stating the obvious. 

Groaning in his head, he unlocked the gate and allowed Seteth to come in. The man nodded gratefully and stood awkwardly inside the fence. 

“She’ll forgive you when she gets hungry.” 

“You didn’t feed her?” 

“She didn’t ask.” Byleth walked back over to his porch, picking up a glass of water he’d got earlier. “She’ll be fine.” 

“You aren’t a parent.” It seemed like Seteth was getting worked up again. 

“No. But she’s not a five-year-old. She can use her words.” 

“Flayn!” Seteth called. “Come. It’s time to go home!” 

Flayn poked her head out from the trees. “I don’t want to, father! I am still mad at you!” She disappeared behind them again. 

“Kid can sure hold a grudge.” Byleth muttered to himself. 

Seteth sighed and sat down on the porch steps, a hand coming to his face. “She’s like her mother in that way.” He stared off across the freshly cleared land. “Your farm looks much better than the last time we were here.” 

Byleth shrugged. All he had done was till some soil and cut a few trees down. He still had to work on all the rocks scattered about. 

Seteth finally fell silent, probably for the first time since they had met. It was almost nice. Awkward, but nice. Peaceful. 

Glancing up at the sun, he saw it was approaching evening. The days were getting longer but he still didn’t care to be out at dusk unless he was getting food. 

As he began lining his tools up in the space under his porch, Seteth spoke up again. “May I ask where you’re from, Byleth?” 

He just shrugged, as he often did. “We moved a lot. Never really had enough time to be from somewhere.” 

“My siblings and I grew up here.” 

“My dad had an uncle here. Which is how I got this land.” 

“What was his name? Perhaps I knew him.” 

Byleth shrugged. “I didn’t even know he existed until three days before I came here.” It didn’t matter to him much. 

“The man that lived here when I was a child kept to himself, much like yourself. He did attend the festivals, but rarely spoke with anyone. Or perhaps, he simply didn’t talk to us children. My sister tried to sneak into his farm.” 

Seteth seemed the have the same habit of rambling that Flayn did. Byleth just let him go on, making sure everything was in place and glancing at the sky again. There were a few clouds, but nothing like a storm was moving back in. 

Flayn finally came back out from the trees, carrying another pile of sticks close to tipping over. She dropped them into her pile, trying very hard to not look at her dad. 

“Flayn, sweetie, are you hungry?” Seteth asked, standing from his spot on the porch. 

She shook her head and folded her arms, looking away from him. Seteth glanced to Byleth who was at the stick pile, looking over what she’d brought in. 

“I can make grilled fish if you like?” 

That made her brighten up. “Really?” 

Seteth nodded. “Of course.” He turned to Byleth who had begun to pick certain branches out. “Thank you for allowing her to stay today.”

“Yes, thank you!” Flayn smiled up at him. “I had fun!” 

Byleth just nodded to both of them as they headed toward the gate. As they disappeared down the path back to town, he went to go lock it back up. 

As annoying as they could be, there was something strangely interesting about them. Flayn was a sweet girl, and Seteth was just an overprotective dad. Seteth was very vocal about his suspicions. Not that Byleth had ever really done anything weird. 

He let the lock click back into place and went back to his little cabin. He didn’t feel like walking down to the saloon tonight for dinner, so cold cereal and bread it would be tonight. 

He sat at his small table. When he had moved in, there had been two chairs. The second one was creaky and falling apart, but something had possessed him to keep it. Staring at it now, he knew it was foolish. It was just a broken piece of furniture he kept in his house. But it was part of the place’s history. It had been here for who knew how long. It ought to stay. 

Walking back out on the porch, he looked out across the landscape. You could almost see his back fence leading to the woods. The bugs were out, as with any spring night anywhere, but it seemed quiet. 

Maybe he would buy a small radio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been playing too much stardew to write lol
> 
> also got a new position and hours and i am dying


	5. Chapter 5

Byleth wiped the sweat from his forehead, leaning back from pulling his parsnips from the ground. Spring was quickly turning in summer, if the heat was anything to go by. The sun was unrelenting. At least the plants liked it. 

He had since been able to make enough money to plant a few more vegetables, but they weren’t quite ready. As it turned out, the people around the town were extremely excited about having fresh food grown just a few blocks away from them. Shipping costs out to the valley could be expensive, and most of the mothers with gardens couldn’t grow enough for the rest of the town. 

The one part he didn’t care for however, was that everyone now felt comfortable approaching him. Some would come and talk to him at the saloon when he’d go to eat dinner. Others, just as he walking along the mountain trail to stretch his legs and get away from his work for a moment. 

It was annoying, and definitely not what he came here for. 

But, on the other hand, the woman who had a ranch nearby had brought him this adorable orange kitten she’d found. She had pleaded with him to take the poor thing, even though he was already going to from the moment he’d looked into the little furball’s eyes. 

The cat had taken quickly to him, laying on his chest at night, purring away. She’d also follow him around the farm for his daily routine, watching him pull the weeds and pouncing on them as he tossed them to the side. 

Flayn had come by a few times and sat on his porch and played with her, dangling pieces of grass for her to jump at. It was sweet. 

He had also, against his will, ended up spending time with Seteth. He was always at the saloon on Friday night, alone, as Flayn wasn’t allowed in the building at her age. And he always insisted on sitting next to Byleth at the bar. 

Most times, they just sat in silence, eating next to each other. Sometimes, Seteth would tell him about his childhood in the valley, about some local myth or what small town kids did to entertain themselves. Byleth didn’t offer much himself. Most of his time as a kid was spent playing by himself in the dirt or reading. 

It was one such night at the saloon. Byleth had taken a seat away from the bar for once, choosing to sit at one of the tables in the darkest corner of the place. The owner had raised an eyebrow at that, but simply brought his meal over. 

It was quieter over here. Friday’s were usually the saloon’s busiest night. Even in a small town like this, where the weekdays didn’t really seem to matter too much, folks celebrated the end of it. 

As he always did, Seteth walked in the door at seven o’clock. He watched him glance around, furrow his brows, and then go talk to the owner. The owner pointed over to his table, and he sighed. Of course. 

It wasn’t that he minded the guy. Anymore. They had got past the point where they were hostile toward each other. Flayn had made sure of that. Flayn had given Byleth a good talking to about being nice and polite, and Seteth had mentioned in passing she had done the same to him. Somehow, being torn down like that by a ten-year-old wearing a unicorn dress was worse than continuing a petty argument. 

Seteth offered a forced smile as he pulled out a chair across from him. “What made you sit over here today?” 

“It’s loud.” 

He nodded. “It is rather loud tonight.” 

Byleth picked at his food, watching the couple dancing alone in an empty floor space. He watched as the owner came by and dropped Seteth’s food off as well. 

Seteth broke the silence between them. “There is a festival tomorrow.” 

Byleth just hummed in response, still watching around the saloon. He wasn’t really in a talking mood, more than usual. 

“It’s a celebration for the coming summer season.” 

Byleth glanced at him. “Why?” 

“It’s traditional.” 

“It’s a season. It comes every year.” 

“I was inviting you to come.” 

“Oh.” Byleth paused for a moment. “I don’t like parties.” 

“Festivals here aren’t wild like they can be in other places. There will be food, dancing, talking.” 

“I hate talking.” 

“Flayn begged me to invite you. For some reason, she insists you come.” 

Byleth sighed. He guessed he could make an appearance. He didn’t want to. There was so much work to be done. But that little girl would never let him live it down. She was already upset he didn’t show to that one for the eggs, that he didn’t even know about. 

“Maybe I can.” He muttered, shaking his head. 

Seteth let a small chuckle escape. “My daughter is very hard to say no to.”

“She is.” 

“How has your farm been going?” Seteth changed to small talk. Byleth gave short answers, back to half-paying attention. Seteth had this thing where he always had to make small talk if they were eating together. What was wrong with silence and no eye contact? 

But no one had given him that since his dad. 

He didn’t realize how loud his sigh was until Seteth stopped mid-sentence. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, looking at him weird. 

Byleth shrugged. “It’s nothing.” 

“Are you sure?” 

He thought for a minute. His dad had once told him to use words instead of just staring at people expecting them to know his thoughts. “Do we have to do the small talk?” 

“What?” 

“You know the answer to those questions. Why ask them?”

“It’s… It’s polite.” He seemed startled. 

“There doesn’t always have to be talking.” At Seteth’s frown, he just shook his head and stood up. He dropped his money for the meal on the counter, nodding to the owner. 

With the sun gone, it wasn’t as hot, but it wasn’t as cool as he wished it would be in that moment. His boots echoed on the stone pathway out of town. At least out here it was quiet. 

As he approached his farm, his cat jumped to the fence post, watching him. As he reached her, she pawed at his arm, asking for petting. He let himself smile at her. He scratched her neck, the cat rubbing into his hand. 

Reaching over to unlock the gate, he heard the sound of boots on gravel behind him.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw it was just Seteth. His hands were in his pockets and he looked upset or embarrassed. There were no lights out here so he couldn’t quite tell from this distance.

“I didn’t know you had a cat.”

“Flayn didn’t tell you? She comes over to play with her all the time.” The cat pawed at him again, looking at him with her tiny, sweet face. “Why’d you follow me?” 

“I upset you.” Seteth shifted a bit. “We had just started to get along.” 

“You didn’t.”

“You ran off!” 

“It’s not you.” Byleth couldn’t look at him. “It was getting way too loud for me.” 

He could feel him starting at him as he focused on his cat. 

“Look, Byleth. I know we aren’t… friends, or anything, but I thought we were getting there.” 

“Were we?” 

“You let my daughter hang out on your farm.”

“She invites herself over.” 

“I just don’t understand you.” 

Byleth shrugged. “No one really does.” 

Seteth sighed and ran a hand down his face. “I’m trying. You just shut down.” 

Byleth stared at him. Seteth was a decent enough guy. He was. Byleth just didn’t want friends. Or anything else. He just wanted to be alone on his farm with his cat, passing the days under the hot sun and listening to the birds and bugs. 

But these two. This man and his daughter, were forcing themselves into his life. It was frustrating, but he couldn’t seem to stop them. Being rude hadn’t stopped them. Being silent had stopped them, despite how many people that had worked on in the past. 

And now he was trying to talk their problems out. Byleth hated talking. He didn’t have anything to say. He hated this. 

“I just hate talking, Seteth. Especially pointless talking.” He finally said. 

“Pointless?”

“The weather, my farm, I just don’t care. I like it being quiet. I like silence. That’s why I moved out here.”

“Oh.” 

“It’s not you. It’s just how I am.” 

Seteth nodded, oddly not saying anything back. Byleth let out a breath and unlocked his gate.

“I’m going to bed, Seteth.” 

Another nod.

After locking up again, he and his cat walking into his cabin and shut the door. 

Laying in bed, he stared up at his ceiling. Maybe he was too mean, but he didn’t know. He had just said what he wanted. No one had ever pushed him that far. His friends back in the city and the service had all known when to leave him alone. Of course, that was probably something to do with his father. His dad would always tell them when he wanted to be alone, even if he said nothing about it himself.

But he couldn’t do that anymore. Byleth was alone, and he had to figure out how to deal with all of this himself. He had always been capable of taking care of himself in every aspect of his life but dealing with others was his least favorite thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp


	6. Chapter 6

Byleth woke up late. 

The sun was already strong outside, warming his skin as he stepped out into his field. There was a loud commotion going on past his back gate. 

Oh. There was some festival today. 

He sighed. Of course there was. After he had just upset Seteth. 

But Flayn would never let him hear the end of it if he didn’t go. 

He went back inside and found a clean shirt and pair of shorts to put on. If he wasn’t going to be working today, he might as well wear something cooler. 

Walking through his back gate, he followed the noise through the woods. In a far corner of it, lines and lines of flowers had been placed around a clearing in the trees. A few banners had been strung up on metal poles. A couple of kids were running around in the big open space yelling and laughing at each other. 

It was kind of pretty. But still had too many people for him. 

He heard a familiar squeal and braced himself.

Flayn sprinted across the field away from her dad to jump up and down in front of him. 

“You came! Father said you wouldn’t!” 

Byleth just stared at her.

“This festival is so fun, Mr. Byleth. There’s so many pretty flowers, and you can dance around like a princess!” This was the first time Flayn had seen him outside of his farm when the whole town was gathered, so she started to point out all of the people and name them. 

As she did, he glanced over to Seteth, seeing him standing on the edge of the clearing, arms folded, watching them. Byleth had to stop himself from sighing, keeping his face flat. 

Flayn was still excitedly chattering away about the other townspeople, and as she was taking a breath to continue, one of the other kids in town shouted her name.

“Mr. Byleth, that’s my friend!” She told him excitedly. “I am going to go play with him!” 

She ran off, leaving him alone to glance around at everyone. Most were too invested in their own conversations, but a few were looking over at him. It was uncomfortable.

He looked over at Seteth again, shoulders dropping a bit, and walked over to him. 

“Seteth.” 

“Byleth.” That was maybe the shortest greeting he’d ever gotten from him. 

“I…” Byleth frowned, setting his jaw. “Sorry.” 

“What?”

“Last night. I’m not good at these things.” Byleth felt his face twisting against his will with the apology. 

“What things?”

“People. My dad always….” He cut himself off. No one needed to know about his dad here. “Sorry.” 

Seteth was silent for a moment, watching him. Byleth kept his face passive, trying to look as open and sorry as possible.

“It’s hard to tell when you give everyone that look.” Seteth shook his head, his arms falling from their folded position across his chest. “But I understand it can be hard to move to a new place with new people.” 

The two stood by each other in silence for a moment before someone came over a loudspeaker, thanking everyone for coming. After a few other words of thanks, music began playing over the speaker, a few people and the kids all rushing to the clearing to dance on the grass. 

Byleth and Seteth stayed in the shade of the trees, watching. Well, Byleth was more just spacing out, but staring at the field. At least most of the people here weren’t yelling or talking very loud. 

Maybe the town’s festivals weren’t that bad. Out in the open field under the sun, it wasn’t so bad being around so many people. It was almost nice to have a break from digging up the ground and pulling weeds and cutting overgrowth down. 

As he was thinking about his farm, Seteth began saying something. He didn’t register any of it, barely paying attention even when Seteth called his name.

“Huh?” He finally clicked back in and looked over at him. 

“I was just asking if you wanted me to grab you something from the food table.” Seteth gave him a strange look. 

He just nodded and Seteth walked off toward the table. 

At least Seteth seemed to be okay again. It was his own fault, but maybe he had fixed it. 

He came back quickly, carrying a small plate in each hand. The one he handed Byleth had a few flower shaped sweets on it, along some chips and pink colored dip of some kind. He wasn’t much for sweets, but it was a holiday. 

Biting into the first cookie, decorated with icing to look like a rose, he almost spit it back out. Looking at Seteth, he tried to keep the disgust off his face.

“Those are the ones Flayn made. She has an… interesting way of baking.” Seteth grimaced through eating his own cookie. 

That was one way to put it. 

He looked over to see her in the field dancing with a few other kids. She waved and burst out into a grin when she saw Byleth and her dad eating her cookies. She waved and turned back to her friends, more animated. 

Great. Now he had to finish it. 

Forcing the rest of it down, he moved to another treat, and watched the party go on. He and Seteth stood mostly by themselves alone in the corner, under the shade of the trees, but plenty of people were lined up by the river, chatting away, picking at the food tables, or in the big grassy field dancing. The music played over some old speakers stood up around the field, kind of grainy, but no one else seemed to mind. 

This was nothing like the loud, over the top parades and celebrations back in the various cities he had lived in, that his dad dragged him to on occasion. He still didn’t care for this, but it was much more tolerable that those. Maybe he would come to the next one. 

A group of young people, most of them a bit younger than himself, gathered on the field, forcing the children to go back to their parents. Flayn came over to Seteth excitedly.

The music changed and the people on the field began a choreographed dance. It was a little stiff and outdated, but it was enjoyable. 

“This was once meant as a fertility ritual, much like the other festival we had this spring.” Seteth started explaining to him as they watched. “Now it’s just a dance many parents in the valley have their grown children partake in.” 

“And after this, everyone can dance again!” Flayn chimed in. “Father, you should come dance too!” She tugged on his shirt, smiling up at him.

“Oh, I don’t know, Flayn—” 

“You and Mr. Byleth can dance together!”

“What?” Byleth stopped her. “I don’t dance.” 

“Please? It’s so much fun! You can dance with Father! He’s a really good dancer!” She stared up at him with her big, pleading eyes. The same eyes that had worn him down to let her continue to come onto his farm. 

He just shook his head. Not this time, little girl. 

“Flayn, we shouldn’t force him to do something he doesn’t want.” Seteth patted her on the head. “I can go out and dance with you if you like.”

Seeing the sad pout on her face, Byleth groaned to himself. 

“Fine.” 

“Byleth, you don’t have to.” Seteth turned to him, going to continue speaking, but Byleth cut him off.

“I’ll at least go stand on the field.” 

Flayn cheered and pulled both Byleth and Seteth to the field as soon as the dancers were done. The music changed to an upbeat song and Flayn swung her arms around, still holding on the two men’s hands. Seteth humored his daughter and stepped with her, while Byleth just stood there, letting his arm get flung around.

Glancing around, he saw most everyone else had joined them in the field. The married couples were dancing together, parents with their kids, kids with their friends. Byleth wished he weren’t out here. 

Flayn and even Seteth seemed to be enjoying themselves. He didn’t really consider them his friends, but what other word was there? Flayn was over too much to be considered an acquaintance, and Seteth had made a habit of meeting him every Friday night. 

Glancing over at Seteth, seeing him smile down at his daughter with a light in his eyes, something sparked in his chest. Sure, maybe they weren’t friends, but Seteth was a good man, taking care of his daughter alone, and letting her pull him along in her schemes. It was sweet. 

At some point while Byleth was in his own head, Flayn had run off to go dance with one of the girls around her age, leaving Seteth alone with him. While Seteth was still awkwardly swaying to the music, Byleth was just standing still, spacing out. 

“Byleth, I know you said you don’t dance, but would you like to?” Seteth offered a hand out to him. “Flayn did force you out here.” 

There was a soft smile on his face, warm and open, and everything Byleth didn’t want here. Against his own judgement, he took the offered hand, and Seteth drew their hands up to match the other couples around. None of them were trained dancers, and this wasn’t a formal affair, but it was closer than Byleth would have liked. 

“I’ve never been the best dancer,” Seteth started, leading him through a step. Byleth stumbled on the grass and stepped on his foot. He grimaced. “It seems neither of us are.” 

“I said I don’t dance.” Byleth felt like he had to defend himself.

Seteth let a chuckle come between them. “It’s alright.” 

Byleth looked down to his feet to make sure he wouldn’t step on him again. Now he knew why he never liked this. It was too awkward. 

“Byleth, I… appreciate you apologizing for our… misunderstanding.” Seteth paused to think of the right words. “But it was partially my fault. I never took how you were feeling into account.”

“It’s fine.” Byleth found himself saying. Even though, he’d stayed up several nights, stewing over the fact this guy didn’t understand him. But, maybe it was find, now. 

The music changed, and Byleth and Seteth kept dancing. Or awkwardly stepping out of time. Glancing down again, Byleth couldn’t help the grimace at Seteth’s shoes. 

“What?” Oh no, he saw.

“Just,” he paused. “Your sneakers….” 

They were white, chunky, dad sneakers, now stained with grass. He was wearing khaki pants, but Byleth was sure he was also wearing socks up to his knees as well. 

“What’s wrong with them?” 

What wasn’t wrong with them? “Nothing, really.” Byleth himself wasn’t always the most fashionable, but there were certain things he just really hated the look of. White chunky sneakers were one. “Why wear white sneakers out here?” 

Seteth glanced down. “Oh. I didn’t think about that. I just got these shoes.” Oh no. He did seem genuinely upset about it, though. Byleth felt almost bad for hating them. 

The song ended, and Byleth let his hand drop from Seteth’s. They stared at each other awkwardly.

“Father!” Flayn ran up to Seteth, breaking the two apart. “Can I stay the night with Jas? Her auntie already said yes!” 

Seteth pretended to think about it for a moment. “I suppose so.” Flayn cheered and ran off again, Seteth watching her with that soft look on his face. 

The party started to wind down after that. The sound system got packed up and the townspeople started to put the rest of their dishes away to carry them home. Flayn came by again to say goodbye to her dad for the night.

As she ran off after her friend again, Seteth sighed heavily, leaning against the tree Byleth had gone to hide under. “Byleth, may I ask a question?” 

He just nodded, staring at the man. “Do you ever regret moving out here?” 

He shook his head.

“I often wonder if moving back here was the right thing. Flayn is quite smart. She couldn’t have gone to a good school in a bigger city. The teacher here is amazing, but she’s only one woman. And it’s so secluded….” 

“I like it.” Byleth stepped in. “It’s quiet. There’s no crime. There’s no threats. It’s peaceful.” 

Seteth nodded, staring off in the direction Flayn had gone off to. The field was empty now, everyone else having drifted home. 

“I couldn’t handle the city anymore after….” Seteth trailed off. Byleth remember what Flayn had said about her mother and assumed it was about that.

“I never liked them.” 

“I know you aren’t very open but… can I ask why you left? You’ve never mentioned your life before.” It seemed Seteth, when he was questioning his choices, had the same element that made him so weak to Flayn. 

“My dad. He died.”

“Ah.”

“I was a soldier with him. He died in action.” 

“Was he your only family?”

Byleth nodded. “Yeah.” 

“What did your friends say when you left?” 

“I never told them.” Not that he had considered many of them friends. He had, but without his dad, they had felt hollow.

Seteth nodded, falling silent for a minute.

“My wife… she died in a horrible fire. It almost took Flayn, too.” 

Byleth stared at the grass, putting his hands in his pockets. That was not the story he was expecting. A car accident, a medical condition, something that you heard about every day. 

“We were at a church service. The candles caught one of the banners and it spread very quickly. One of the nuns there dragged me out after I fell unconscious. She had to hold me back from running back in for Flayn and my wife.” Seteth brought a hand to his face, wiping at his eyes. “Miraculously, Flayn recovered from her burns quickly. My wife didn’t make it to the hospital.” 

“That’s… awful.” 

“Flayn was only five years old.” 

Byleth was quiet, unsure how to respond to that. It was a more violent death that he was expecting, and he certainly didn’t expect for that sweet girl to have had that kind of story either. 

“That’s why I came back here. Too many memories and sadness.” Seteth took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Five years clearly wasn’t enough time for him. 

Byleth nodded toward the town. “It’s getting late.” It was clear Seteth wanted an out to this conversation. 

“It is. We should head back.” 

They were silent as they left the field and walked back through the forest. Night was quickly falling over the valley, and it was a full moon tonight. Here in the forest, it was hard to see the stars, but the trees were just as pretty in the moonlight that shined through. 

Byleth liked this. Walking in the woods at night, nothing but the crickets and lightning bugs out. He hadn’t been out in the forest too much since he’d come here, but now he knew he wanted to come back at some point. 

The two of them reached the back fence of Byleth’s farm. He reached out for the lock, pulling a ring of keys from his pocket. 

“Byleth.” He dropped the lock to look over at Seteth. “Thank you.” 

He just shrugged. 

“I haven’t told anyone in a long time and I….” Seteth shook his head. The gravel leading to his gate crunched as Seteth stepped closer. 

It wasn’t even a real kiss. Just a hint of Seteth’s lips brushing across his own. Part of him wondered if he’d imagined it. 

Byleth stepped back, staring at Seteth. He knew he had a look close to shock on his face, and Seteth was staring back at him much the same. 

“I…” Seteth stopped himself. “I’m not….”

Byleth shook his head. “I’ll… see you later, Seteth.” 

He nodded and quickly walked down the path back into town. Byleth just watched him go. 

What was that? They weren’t even friends. Seteth barely tolerated him. And he—

Byleth quickly unlocked his gate and walked back up to his cabin. His cat came up to him, meowing and running between his legs. He reached down to pick her up and held her to his chest, thinking about what just happened.

It wasn’t his first kiss or anything, if you could call it that. But it had definitely been a while. He wasn’t interested in romance or sex or anything like that. And yes, Seteth was a very attractive man, minus his dad fashion sense, but that didn’t mean anything. 

Byleth laid in his bed, boots still on, staring at his ceiling. Maybe Seteth had just been caught up in the emotion about his dead wife. He had been really upset. Maybe he just needed some kind of physical comfort, and Byleth was the only one around. 

That was probably it. He had seemed almost as surprised as Byleth was. 

Next time they saw each other, he just wouldn’t mention it. Seteth could bring it up, but he would just ignore it. It wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t even a kiss. 

Rolling to his side, Byleth ran himself in circles until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sad boys! 
> 
> Also i really hate chunky new balance sneakers lol   
> Thanks for all the nice reviews from everyone! I rarely respond to them cuz im bad at taking compliments but thank you all!


	7. Chapter 7

Seteth didn’t show up at the saloon the following Friday. Byleth sat at his usual spot at the counter alone, unable to look away from the door. Maybe Flayn hadn’t wanted to stay at her friend’s house, like she usually did. He did have other obligations. 

The next morning, Byleth was in his fields, tending to the last of his spring crops. He’d had a good spring, bringing in enough money to expand the types of food he could grow. 

Now, he had to start getting ready for summer. The general store in town had already started selling seeds and starters. The owner of the place had struck him a deal and offered him a few seeds free with the rest of his purchase. 

He knew next to nothing about farming, but somehow, he had had a good first season. He always had a knack for stumbling his way through and somehow succeeding. 

Glancing up at the sun, he noticed how low it was beginning to get. Flayn would probably come by today. She liked to come over on Saturdays. 

Maybe she would mention something about her dad. 

Of course, he wasn’t obligated at all, but after what happened last week, Byleth was curious as to what the man would say. 

As if he summoned her, he heard her voice calling him from the fence. He looked up and she waved, smiling brightly. He walked over to open the gate for her.

“Where is your kitty, Mr. Byleth?”

He pointed over to the porch. “She’s sunbathing.” 

She quickly ran over to pick her up and pet her. The cat looked a little grumpy at being woken up, but quickly warmed back up when she realized who was harassing her. 

He watched her for a moment before going back to his work. He had almost lost himself in it again when she spoke again.

She was gently stroking his cat, who’d taken to sprawling out on one of the steps. “Mr. Byleth, have you ever been to church?” 

He stopped pushing the dirt around and looked over to her. “No.”

“Why not? Didn’t your father ever take you?” 

He shook his head. “Dad didn’t like churches.” 

Clearly that was a concept she had no idea what to do with. Given that her father was a priest, and her mother had apparently also been with the church, she must have grown up close to them. 

“Why? Churches are so pretty!” 

“He never said.” 

“My mother and father met in a church!” Flayn giggled. “Father said he loved her at first sight.” 

Byleth just nodded. Flayn apparently loved the story behind her parents. She was a little girl, and he was sure they had played it up to keep her attention. Or maybe they hadn’t. He really didn’t know anything about Seteth. 

He definitely didn’t know why he’d try to kiss him after telling him about his dead wife. 

Listening to Flayn talk about her mom and dad made his even more curious as to what he was doing. 

“You should come to the church service tomorrow!” Flayn interrupted his thoughts. 

“What?” 

“You can get to know everyone in town better!” 

“I really don’t want—”

“It starts at eight. Father will be excited to see you! You’re his only friend in town.” 

“We’re… not really—”

“Please?” She looked up at him with the biggest, saddest eyes she could muster. He could practically feel his resolve crumbling away. Who gave this random little girl that power? 

“Fine.” 

That was how he ended up in the back of the churches’ pews, watching the rest of the town shuffle in, chatting with each other. A few noticed him sitting in the shadows alone, but quickly moved along as he stared back at them. 

He hadn’t expected a small-town church to look so nice. But everything was clean and the wood in the pews and floors was polished and clearly well looked after. He wondered if Seteth spent his time doing this sort of thing. Was he the one in charge of the whole building? They had never really talked about his work at all. 

Now that he thought about it, they rarely ever talked about him. It was always about Byleth. Or as much as Byleth was willing to talk. Sometimes he just ignored the questions Seteth asked him. 

But, apparently, according to Flayn, Seteth considered them friends. 

A door opened up towards the back of the room, Seteth stepping out. He was dressed in his priest clothes, a large book tucked under his arm. He stepped up to the podium set up in front of the large cross statue and cleared his throat. 

The room fell silent as he greeted everyone, his voice echoing off the high ceiling. 

He’d never been to a church service before, and despite how invigorated Seteth seemed to be talking about it, he was bored. He felt like he was back in school again, being lectured to. Why did people do this every week? 

Spacing out, he stared up at Seteth. The robes he wore were a dark blue, and, if he was being honest, looked really good on him. Much better than those terrible fitting khakis. He had seen him in them before, but he hadn’t really had time to register them. 

Before he really registered it, it was over, everyone speaking up again, the volume of the room rising. Some folks stood, stretching, chatting away with others. A few went up to talk to Seteth, bowing their heads and clasping their hands. 

Byleth just stayed in his corner, watching the room. He noticed Flayn toward the front, happily chatting with another girl around her age. She glanced up and saw him looking over at her and quickly left her friend to skip over to him.

“You came!” She tugged on his arm, pulling him to his feet. “You have to say hello to Father! Come on!” 

He let her drag him toward the front of the room, everyone’s eyes following him. Maybe he shouldn’t have worn his muddy boots. 

The person talking to Seteth stopped immediately upon seeing Byleth and Flayn standing behind her. She quickly nodded to Seteth and scurried off, whispering to a friend back by the seating. 

Seteth looked up from his podium, seeming startled to see Byleth standing in front of him. 

“Byleth!” He stammered for a brief moment before speaking again. “You came to a service?” 

“Flayn asked me to.” 

He blinked for a moment, glancing down at his daughter, smiling brightly up at him. “You asked him to come?” 

She nodded. “He said he’s never been to church! And ours is so pretty!” She looked to Byleth. “Did you like it?” 

He couldn’t tell her he found it boring and had spent the whole time thinking about her dad’s clothing choices. “Yeah.” 

That seemed to make her happy enough. “You should eat lunch with us! Father made fish fillets!” 

“Flayn, I am sure he’s quite busy.” He scolded her, a hint of hoping in his voice. He avoided looking Byleth in the eye, glancing over his head or shoulders. 

Byleth shrugged. “Not really.” He was. But this awkward Seteth was interesting and his curiosity was getting to be too much. He gave what he hoped look like a smile, but given how both of them looked at him, it didn’t come out very good. 

“Well, then, we would love for you to join us.” Seteth said, clearly not meaning it. He shifted slightly to his other foot, glancing around the room.

Byleth looked around too. Most of the others were starting to file out, chatting with themselves.

“Father, I’m going to say bye to my friends!” She ran off without an answer. The two of them watched her run out of the room. 

Seteth sighed, stacking up the few papers and his book to busy himself. “Did you enjoy the sermon?” He was trying too hard to keep his voice steady.

“Sure.”

“Sure?”

“Not really. I don’t like lectures.” 

“You don’t like a lot of things….” Seteth finally looked up at him, exhausted. “And it’s not a lecture. It’s the words of our goddess.”

“Lecturing us.” Byleth shrugged. “Call it what you like.” 

“Why did you come here? You aren’t religious. You’ve said as much.” Now he seemed frustrated.

“Flayn asked me—”

“Yes I know, but why did you agree to it?” 

“You skipped out Friday. After… you know.” Byleth glanced around the room to make sure they were alone. “Are you okay?” 

“I… Of course I’m okay.” He cleared his throat. “Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Byleth just raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “Alright.” If he didn’t want to talk, that was fine. He liked it better that way. 

Flayn came running back in, ever filled with energy. “I’m hungry!” 

Seteth smiled gently at her, all the tension from a moment ago gone. “Okay sweetie, let’s go upstairs and eat.” He nodded for Byleth to follow them through the door to the side.

It led to an empty office room with a set of carpeted stairs in the corner. Once the reached the top, Seteth unlocked the door and let them both in. 

Seteth’s living room was plain. An old couch in the center of the room facing a modest television set, a sparse collection of dvds, mostly cartoons, and books lined the one bookshelf to the side. The walls were bare except a cheap piece of art he probably put up to make it seem less plain. 

It was more than his cabin had, but that wasn’t really saying much. 

“I’ll go start the fish. Flayn, why don’t you show Byleth around?” Flayn nodded and took him by the wrist. 

“I’ll show you my room!” She dragged him after her again. 

Her room was covered in little plushies, pillows, and books. The bed was covered in a thick mermaid blanket with fish pillows around it. 

Flayn ran over to her bed, pulling out an octopus plushie, its stuffed tentacles dangling as she held it out to him. “This one is my favorite! Her name is Sofie! My mother gave her to me when I was a baby.” 

She did look a little old and dirty. But Flayn hugged her to her chest still. 

“Your room is very nice.” 

Flayn put her octopus back on her bed, propping her up on the pillows. “Let’s go see if Father is done with lunch!” She dragged him off again.

The kitchen was as decorated as the living room. The sink was clean, and there was a simple coffee maker on the counter, but not much else. Everything else was tucked away in the cabinets. 

Seteth was at the stove, three breaded fillets sitting in a pan, frying. It had been a while, but the idea of a homecooked meal was suddenly the most exciting thing he’d had happen in years. Even if it was something simple. 

Flayn excited ran to the table. “Is it almost done, Father?” 

Seteth nodded, grabbing some plates from a cabinet by the sink. Flayn quickly grabbed them at set them at the small dining table in the corner. There were four chairs, but two of them looked dusty and unused. 

The fillets were nothing fancy, but it was still nice. He and Seteth had dinner every week, but it was in a loud open area. It was quiet here, save for Flayn talking all about her favorite cartoon. 

It reminded him of how things used to be. When he and his dad would make dinner and eat in silence next to each other.

Flayn finished her food quickly and excused herself to catch up with her friends outside. That left Seteth and Byleth alone. Seteth was still being awkward, barely looking at him, and Byleth was thinking about his dad, staring at the food left on his plate.

“Is it not good?” 

“It’s fine.” 

He felt Seteth’s eyes on him, but he didn’t look up. 

“I don’t have a stove at home.” He finally said. 

“You eat at the Saloon every night?” 

“Usually.” Sometimes he had cereal. 

“I… You are… welcome to come by. Sometimes. For meals.” Seteth seemed to force himself to say it. 

Byleth finally looked over at him. His face was red, like he was barely breathing. And he still wouldn’t meet his eye. 

Instead of commenting on that, Byleth remembered something Flayn said.

“Is it because I’m your only friend?” He was glad for his expressionless face at this moment.

“What?”

“Flayn said I’m your only friend.” 

“We aren’t…. That girl is going to kill me.” He covered his face with one hand, sighing heavily. “I have more friends!” 

Byleth laughed to himself. “Oh, okay.” 

“Are you teasing me?” Seteth looked like he was trying very hard to be angry but found it funny.

“Do I look like the type to tease you?” 

Seteth narrowed his eyes, staring at him. Byleth stared back. They sat in silence for a good minute before Seteth stood up, taking both their plates to the sink. 

“Did you catch the fish?” Byleth asked, watching him rinse them off. 

“No. I bought them from the store. I just made the breading.”

Byleth rose his eyebrow. “It’s cheaper to catch them.” 

“I don’t know how to clean them. I’m not even that good a fisherman.” 

He thought for a moment. If they were friends, which he wasn’t sure they were, they were expected to spend time together. As much as he enjoyed his alone time, Seteth had taken to respecting the silence he established. Their time together had become much more enjoyable. 

“We should go. I’ll show you.” 

“What?” He stopped the water to look at him. 

“I haven’t fished in the river. Let’s go.”

“Right now?”

“No. After I get my summer crops up.” 

“Oh.” He paused for a moment. “Okay. That sounds… fun.” 

It did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not seen: Flayn watching her dad and Byleth dance at the flower dance and immediately going to her friends house and stealing paper to write a very rom-com plot out to get them together. Starting with pretending to go to her friends to leave them alone. 
> 
> Hope you've all been enjoying this~ Two idiot men falling in love is my favorite thing.


	8. Chapter 8

The sun had barely risen above the mountains, but Byleth was already out at the little secluded dock, setting up his things. The wood was old and worn, but still held strong, looking out over the forest river. Seteth had told him about this place, but he hadn’t had a free day to check it out yet. 

But now Seteth was on his way out here, finally making good on their plans to go fishing together. 

Byleth had gone back to visit the fish shop down by the beach, probably having the longest conversation, that wasn’t with Seteth or Flayn, since he’d come here. The fish guy was quiet as well, but he’d helped Byleth collect the bait and supplies he’d need for the day. 

Seteth had told him today Flayn was going on a school trip with a few other kids and would be gone until after dinner. The girl had been so excited, telling him all about her ride on the train with her friends.

Byleth lazily cast a line out, sitting down to wait for Seteth to show up. 

He watched the sun slowly rise up, its light filtering through the trees, playing with the shadows in the grass. The light breeze rustling through the trees and grass and birds chirping were the only sounds he could hear. 

His line bobbed in the water, not a bite, but enough to let him know the fish were interested. He went ahead and pulled the line out to save the fishing for when Seteth showed up. 

As soon as he did, he heard the sound of shoes in the grass. Looking over his shoulder, Seteth stood at the end of the dock. His hands were shifting on the fishing pole he carried awkwardly. 

“Good morning.” He called down the dock to Byleth. 

Byleth nodded in response and stood up to walk back towards him. 

“Have you been waiting long?” Seteth asked, watching Byleth pick up the bait box he’d brought. “The train was a little late.” 

“No. Just enjoying the morning.” He spent a lot of time alone but relaxing in a forest alone was something he had been enjoying.

But then, he was also looking forward to spending time with Seteth, as much as he couldn’t believe it. 

“I brought sandwiches.” Seteth held up a small cooler. “And some water. I don’t know what you like to drink.” 

“Water’s good.” 

Seteth set the cooler down next to the box. Byleth took that as a hint to start getting him some bait together. 

“Did you bring all that bait with you? Before you moved here?” 

Byleth shook his head. “No. The fish guy is just cool.” Byleth handed him a few things, and grabbed his own pole from the grass and went back to the edge of the dock.

Seteth took a moment to follow him, sitting down to bait his pole. Byleth cast his pole out, watching Seteth struggle for a minute from the corner of his eye.

Finally he also put his line in the water.

It didn’t take too long before Byleth got a bite and reeled the fish in, the thing not giving much of a fight. It was tiny, so he ended up just tossing it back. 

Neither of them said a word for a long time, just occasionally reeling in a fish, typically one too small to do anything with, but after a few hours, they had a good pile of fish to work with. 

A glance up to the sky showed it was around noon, the trees keeping most of the heat off the ground for now. Byleth reeled in his line to simply lay back and look at the clouds passing. 

He hadn’t been fishing with another person, that he’d liked, in a long time. It was nice, sitting out here, away from anyone else who might disturb them, just watching a couple of lines sink into the water. 

Byleth looked over to Seteth next to him. He couldn’t help but admire the strong line of his shoulders. He was sitting rigid, back straight and stiff. All that church work must have kept him in good shape. Or running after Flayn. She was a bit of a handful. 

Despite his terrible dad fashion, Seteth was an exceptionally attractive man. Laying out here in the low summer heat, staring at him, Byleth let his mind wander. Part of him wanted to reach out and run his hands along the lines of his back. Seteth’s hands shifted on the fishing pole, the muscles in his arms moving with them. Byleth followed them. 

It wasn’t like he was a stranger to these feelings. He was human like anyone else. Seteth, with his larger frame and soft-looking green hair, had also kind of hit a note in him. He hadn’t let himself think about it, as he was always busy and trying to deal with everything else.

But out here, alone, free from his farm work, undisturbed, he was free to imagine running his fingers along that strong back, those biceps, flexing around him. Discarding those terrible cargo shorts….

“Are you hungry?” Seteth suddenly turned toward him.

Uh oh. He’d been caught. 

He watched Seteth’s face fill with confusion. Byleth lazily dragged his eyes back to meet Seteth’s.

“Sure.” 

“I’ll go get our sandwiches then.” He awkwardly scrambled to his feet, forgetting to reel his line back in. 

Byleth laughed to himself, pulling it back in for him. He watched as Seteth took a moment by the cooler before pulling the sandwiches out. He also grabbed a couple of the bottles he’d brought and shuffled along back to him. 

He took them when they were offered, peeling the plastic away to eat the sandwich. The two of them ate in silence, not really looking at each other. Or at least, Seteth wasn’t. And here he’d thought they’d got past the awkward part. 

“When we’re finished eating, I’ll show you how to clean the fish.” Seteth just nods in response. 

Byleth quickly finished his and picked up the small basket they had been putting their catches in. Back on the grass he set up a small board he’d brought with him for this. He pulled the old pocketknife he’d been given as a kid from his back pocket. 

“What does the ‘e’ stand for?” Seteth came up behind him. 

“My last name. Eisner. My dad got it for me when I was five.” 

Seteth just nodded and watched as Byleth shuffled through the fish in the basket. He finally decided on one of the big bass they had caught. 

Byleth launched into an explanation of where to cut and what to discard to get the meat from the fish. Seteth watched his hands as he pointed at the different parts. Byleth began cutting into it for a demonstration.

He got through the bass, putting the meat he’d pulled from it in the cooler Seteth had brough. It still had some ice in it and would keep until it got back to his place. 

“Do you want to try?” 

“Show me again?”

Byleth nodded, pulling another out of the basket. He explained everything again, cutting and discarding the unnecessary parts. He could feel Seteth’s eyes watching him, but he couldn’t tell if he was watching him work, or just watching him.

Once again, he had the meat from the fish. He looked over to see Seteth’s eyebrows furrowed together. 

“You okay?” 

He took a second to respond. “I…” His eyes shifted around for a minute before coming to meet Byleth’s. “I’m sorry. I’m having trouble focusing.” 

Byleth just nodded, moving to clean the board off for the next fish. 

As he reached for the next fish in the basket, Seteth met his hand. 

“Byleth, I’m… I’m not….”

Byleth just watched him, waiting for him to get whatever he wanted to say out. He was clearly struggling with it. 

Just as Byleth was about to prod him to try and help him say whatever it was, Seteth dipped his head down and kissed him. 

It wasn’t like the last time they had “kissed”. It wasn’t merely a brush of their lips. There was real feeling and force behind it. It only lasted for a moment, long enough for Seteth to realize what he was doing and pull back.

“I…”

“Seteth.”

He pulled back further, releasing Byleth’s hand, bringing it to his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean….” He looked around the forest, clearly looking for a way out.

“It’s fine.” Byleth reached out and took his hand again. “Just talk to me.” He was tired of Seteth being awkward and stunted around him. They had moments where everything was fine, but ever since the flower festival, he had been more weird. 

“Byleth….” Seteth pinched his nose, scrunching his eyes shut. “Okay.” 

Byleth sat down, pulling Seteth next to him. “We don’t really know much about each other. For being ‘friends’.” He put air quotes around the term. He still didn’t feel like they were friends. 

“Are we not?” 

“Do you think we are?” Clearly, Seteth felt something else. If not only one kiss, but two, was anything to go off. 

“I… I don’t know.” Seteth was quiet for a moment, playing with Byleth’s fingers. “I think… I have feelings for you.” 

Byleth nodded. “That was kind of obvious.” Byleth would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the brief exchange they had just had. 

“I’m… I don’t like men.” Seteth mumbled, more to himself. “But here I am.” He seemed to struggle to get the words out. “I had a wife. I have a child…. I’m not supposed to….”

“Who said that?” 

“What?”

“Who told you aren’t supposed to?” Byleth wondered aloud. He knew the church, once upon a time, had been iffy on those who were attracted to the same gender, but that was something long in the past. They hadn’t had that policy for nearly 200 years, and even then, many hadn’t enforced it. 

“No one, really. Myself.” Seteth’s hand stilled on his fingers. “I’ve never had any issue with my sister bringing women around. Our mother was fine with it.”

“We don’t have to be anything, Seteth.” Byleth stopped him from going down that hole. Byleth wasn’t even sure he wanted them to be something.

Did he enjoy spending time with him? Yes, reluctantly. He found him very attractive. He wouldn’t dismiss a chance to share his bed with him. But a real relationship was a bit too far. 

“I’m not an emotional guy, Seteth.” Byleth started. “We don’t have to make anything out of this.” 

Seteth watched him for a moment before nodding. “Okay. We can just fish together. And have dinner at the saloon. As friends.” Still a weird term to Byleth’s ears, but he left it alone.

Instead, he just nodded, turning back to the fish. “Let’s finish these up.”

\---

They parted once again at Byleth’s back gate. Seteth walked along the path back towards town, only once looking back at him. 

Watching him go pulled at something in his chest. He was a good man. A bit stiff and awkward, but he always meant well. If he hadn’t mentioned the train arriving soon with his daughter, Byleth might have tried his luck at inviting him inside his cabin.

Sighing, he unlocked his gate, taking the walk up to his place slowly. He didn’t want to go inside just yet, so he stacked up some wood in a fire pit he’d made around early spring and lit it, watching the smoke drift into the night sky. 

It was… kind of lonely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I juST WANT SETETH TO STRUGGLE MILDLY WITH HIS SEXUALITY OKAY but not like in a "no one will accept me" way you feel?
> 
> WE GOT FAN ART YA'LL   
> https://twitter.com/johnnybluhbluh/status/1232640467373887490  
> https://twitter.com/44kage/status/1228428956375740416
> 
> Its wild to me to have fanart for a fic i wrote. Like highkey, its a dream. Go follow the artists on twitter! They have some really good stuff. 
> 
> Anyway thank you all so much for all the love this fic and Discovery has been getting. I want to try getting back on a schedule with it, probably updating every weekend, but we'll see. I'm usually very busy with work. I just like schedules. 
> 
> If anyone wants to hear me just spew my idiot Seteth thoughts, please feel free to follow me on twitter too @snick_snack_


	9. Chapter 9

Midsummer came fast, the sun baking the land below it. Almost every day, Byleth walked out to pick a new crop of vegetables. The plants were all happy with the sunshine and occasional thunderstorm. He rarely had time to leave the farm, often still working after dark. 

This morning, the local carpenter was coming by. Seteth had recommended her, and she had had a sale on a couple household items he needed. Namely, a stove and refrigerator. The money he had been earning lately finally had a pay-off.

Byleth worked through her visit. He had plans to plant a few fruit trees, just to see how they’d do, and had to clear another space of land for them. The crops were doing okay for the day, so he got to work preparing a corner of his land for them. 

The early summer thunderstorms they’d had had left this part of his land a bit of a mess. With all the overgrown trees and bushes, it didn’t get as much sun to dry out as fast as the rest of the area. It hadn’t rained in a while now, so it was as good a time as any. 

As his hands busied themselves in the work, he let his mind drift off to other things.

Ever since they had gone fishing, things had gone back to normal. They had their typical Friday night dinner at the saloon together, and afterwards, Byleth would walk Seteth back to the church, or Seteth would walk him back to the farm. Well, that last part was new. They used to just split up after leaving the saloon. 

They had also taken to fishing one day every week. Sometimes Flayn would join them, sometimes she would be off with her friends, or simply wander around the shore, playing in the sand if they were by the ocean, stacking rocks if they were near the river. 

With the summer, Flayn was out of school for the year, and it was quickly approaching her birthday. She had been, according to Seteth, bouncing off the walls without something to do during the day. 

But she hadn’t been coming to the farm as much. He’d hear her down in the forest with her friends, and she’d wave to him and talk to him, but then she’d go off, playing whatever game she was playing. He understood it, but part of him missed the girl babbling on while he worked. 

It was late afternoon by the time he’d finished up clearing the spot. The carpenter had long since left, and he was alone again. 

Or so he thought.

As he stepped up the creaky wooden stairs to his cabin, he heard someone knocking on his gate.

It was Seteth.

Had they had plans? It wasn’t Friday. Or even late enough for dinner really. 

“Byleth. Are you busy tonight?” 

He shook his head. Was he ever really busy? 

Seteth didn’t respond immediately, like he was trying to think of something.

“Did you… need something?” Byleth asked, leaning on his gate. 

“No. Flayn is eating at a friend’s house tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to eat together?” 

Byleth thought for a moment. “Isn’t it a bit early for dinner?” 

“Well, yes. But—”

“Yeah, sure. I got lots of vegetables we can cook.” He still had to contact the mayor about getting utilities to his new stove and fridge, but a campfire seemed like a good idea for night. 

He let Seteth in and went to his firewood bin. 

“What are you doing?”

“Getting a fire started?” Byleth hauled a few logs to the pit in front of his house. 

“Oh. I assumed we’d go to…. Yes, that sounds nice.” Seteth took a seat on the ground and watched Byleth light the wood. 

While the fire grew, Byleth went inside to grab a few of the things he kept to make over an open fire, and the vegetables he kept for himself. Most of them where just canned, pre-made items, but they were nice when he was too tired to walk down to the saloon. Or didn’t have time to. 

Back outside, he started setting up the pan he had to cook them in. 

“I thought you said you eat at the saloon every night?” Seteth asked, watching him.

“Usually. But the summer has been busy. And it’s a long walk some nights.” Byleth sat on the ground next to him, setting the pan up over the flame. It wasn’t going to be an extravagant meal, but he hoped Seteth wouldn’t mind. 

Seteth looked over to the space he’d created today. “What is that for?” 

“I want a fruit tree.” 

He just nodded in response. They fell into silence as Byleth turned the food occasionally, just watching the sun go down. Byleth was always out when the sun finally set, but he’d never really watched it. He was always focused on some task or another. 

“My sister is coming to visit for the potluck next week on the beach.” 

“Is that a good thing?” 

“Yes. It’s been a while since I saw her. Flayn loves her.” Seteth seemed less than thrilled about it. Byleth wanted to ask, but he didn’t. If he wanted him to know, he’d say something. “It’s just been five years since we were last together.” 

Five years… Oh.

His wife.

“Oh.” 

“We talk regularly on the phone, and Flayn calls her on her own, but we have not spent time together in so long.” Seteth sighed heavily, staring into the flames. “And then my brothers….” 

He trailed off. Byleth took that as an opportunity to go inside and grab a couple plates for them to eat off. Seteth took the plate silently, loading the plate with what he’d made.

Byleth didn’t realize how hungry he was, despite how burnt it tasted. He still couldn’t the hang of cooking over a campfire. But he wasn’t that picky. 

“Are you going to go?” Seteth suddenly asked, rolling one of the vegetables around on the old cracked plate. 

“Go?”

“To the potluck. It would benefit from some of your crops.” 

“Do you want me to?” 

He didn’t answer immediately. Byleth watched the shadows play across his face as the fire flickered. Part of him wanted to touch his face, but he held himself back. He just looked so….

“Yes. I’d like if you came.” He finally said. 

“Okay. Then I will.” 

The soft smile that came over Seteth’s face warmed his heart. He almost wanted to kiss him. He just wanted to hold his face, and touch his hair, and ask him to stop wearing those ugly polo shirts. 

“What?” Seteth asked, his cheeks getting a bit red.

Byleth had never been one to hide his feelings. “I kind of want to kiss you.” He said. 

“Uh…” Seteth kind of gaped at him for a moment, the blush growing across his face. “But you… ummm….”

“I know.” He reached up to brush his fingers across his cheek. “I won’t if you don’t want me to.”

“That... I never asked you….” Seteth looked away. 

“Yes, but you also didn’t tell me what you wanted.” Seteth’s skin was softer than he expected. Being a priest, he must not see too much sun or wind. 

Seteth looked back at him, the same concerned expression that had been there the other day. Concern for himself and his feelings and what was happening. “I would… like to kiss you too.” 

Byleth barely let him finish the sentence before meeting his lips. 

This was the longest, sweetest kiss they’d ever shared. The past two had been too fast for Byleth to really take in how lovely the other man’s lips were. Seteth sighed against him, and Byleth couldn’t help smiling a bit. 

They pulled apart briefly when the fire crackled unexpectedly. 

“I should get back before Flayn….” Seteth muttered, not moving away. 

“Probably.” Byleth smirked, watching him try to force himself away.

He failed and leaned in again. It was even better the second time. 

He was a kind man, despite how hostile he’d once been. Given everything, it was understandable. He hadn’t been the warmest either.

But here, kissing Seteth, for real, finally, he didn’t feel as lonely anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha woops! 
> 
> I'm still kind of deciding if i wanna put a sex scene in the fic. Like i wanna write it but do i want to put in the fic or make it separate so those who dont want to read it dont have to. Idk. 
> 
> Anywayyyy~ Thanks for all the love this has been getting recently on the tweet machine! And for Discovery too like wow. Wild. I'm super happy everyone seems to enjoy them! 
> 
> ALSO MORE FANART! These artists are incredible!  
> https://twitter.com/plcntagenet/status/1236176818777894913?s=20  
> https://twitter.com/johnnybluhbluh/status/1235150461331591168?s=20
> 
> If i ever miss yours, pls just yell at me on twitter or here and ill go find it! Hope you all enjoyed!


	10. Chapter 10

The sun was harsh coming off the sand. The beach was packed, everyone in town was there, chatting with each other. Byleth stood off near the water, watching them all, watching the path down to the beach.

It wasn’t like Seteth to be late. Perhaps his sister had held him up. Or Flayn. 

Too many people had given him strange looks for coming alone. By now, everyone knew he and Seteth were friends. They had all seen them at the saloon and out fishing, or just walking with Flayn. 

Most chose to leave him alone once he dumped a couple dishes on the big tables they had laid out. People had quickly gone to taste them. He left them to it, watching from afar, as he preferred to do. 

Finally, he saw a couple of green haired people walking down the path from the town. Flayn was skipping in one of her favorite dresses, no doubt trying to show off for her aunt. Seteth had, for once, chosen not to wear white sneakers and cargo shorts. The floral print shirt was much better than his others. 

Flayn met his eyes and quickly turned to pull on her aunt’s arm, tugging her down the steps faster. The woman seemed to laugh and just go along with her. 

“Byleth!” She waved dramatically over her head.

Byleth waved back, giving her a soft smile.

“Mr. Byleth, this is my auntie Rhea!” She turned to her aunt. “He’s the farmer I told you about!”

“Ah, yes, Byleth. The one my brother seems so taken with.” Rhea held her hand out to shake.

Byleth accepted, just shrugging at the comment. “I guess that’s me.” 

She laughed softly, Seteth quickly catching up and giving her a look. She simply returned the look and changed the subject.

“So, you are the one taking care of that old farmland? I remember the rumors of ghosts once roaming it.” 

“Rhea, please. Ghost stories? That place is no more haunted then the old building behind city hall.” Seteth scoffed. “Or the church.”

“I don’t know, brother. I did hear some strange noises last night.” She laughed at the look on her brother’s face. Byleth almost did too. 

“Auntie! Do you want to go dance with me?” Flayn pointed out the small corner of the beach with wood planks laid out that people were dancing along. Some of Flayn’s friends were over there already. 

Rhea let her niece take her by the wrist again and drag her away, giving the two men a small wave. 

Byleth looked over to see Seteth let out a heavy sigh. He rose an eyebrow at him.

“I love my sister but having her here is proving to be more stressful than I expected.” He watched her take Flayn’s hands and spin her around. “But Flayn is so happy to see her.” 

Byleth just nodded. He didn’t know how to respond to that. Sometimes Seteth just need to get his thoughts out loud. 

“Have you eaten anything yet?” 

Byleth shook his head. “I ate before I left.” He didn’t know what was going to be here. And he only came because Seteth asked him to. 

Seteth just nodded. “Well, do you want to look at the food the others brought?” 

Byleth just shrugged and followed him anyway. 

The closer they got to the food, the more eyes he could feel watching the two of them. Typically, he would have just let Seteth go alone, but after the other night….

They weren’t really a couple. But they felt like they were almost a couple. At least to him. 

Despite how much he said he didn’t want that. 

Even though he’d eaten, some of the things Seteth picked up smelled good. And the saloon owner was there, smiling and pushing plates onto people, and he already knew the guy was a good cook. So, he ended up with a plate himself. 

They went back to the corner Byleth had been standing in and watched the festivities from there. Most of the games were for the children, with their parents talking to their own friends. It was less crowded then that one in the forest. He decided he liked this one better. 

He and Seteth ate in a comfortable silence, as they tended to now. Seteth kept his eye on his daughter, dancing away with her friends and aunt in the corner. She looked like she was having fun, but then, she always did. 

“Rhea is staying with us until Flayn’s birthday in a week.”

“That must be nice.”

Seteth paused, watching the girls dance. “I suppose it is. I think I missed my family more than I thought.” 

Byleth knew he missed his dad at this moment. 

“I can’t believe my little girl is going to be eleven. She’ll be in middle school in the fall.” Seteth mumbled to himself. “Not that that matters. We only have one building and one teacher.”

“She’s a good kid.” 

“Thank you. For being so kind to her and letting her come to the farm. She’s always so happy afterwards.” 

Byleth just shrugged. She made it hard to say no. And he appreciated the little bit of help she gave him. And his cat enjoyed her attention. 

Rhea came over, clearly worn out from chasing her niece, interrupting their conversation. “Well, don’t you two look cozy over here.” She smirked at her brother.

Seteth’s cheeks reddened a bit and he looked away. “I’m going to grab something to drink.” 

“Aw, I embarrassed him.” Rhea laughed to herself. She turned to Byleth when her brother was out of earshot. “Seteth has spoken so much about you.”

“He has?” 

“Well, Flayn has. He has mentioned you and avoided my questions.” 

That sounded more accurate. 

“So, perhaps you will give me an answer.”

“Unlikely.” 

“I simply want to know if you two are in a relationship.”

Byleth didn’t answer. He just stared at her, blinking slowly. 

Rhea smiled at him. “I’m going to take that as a yes.” 

“If you want to.”

Seteth took that moment to return, holding a couple cans and a bottle of water in his hands. He handed one of the cans to Rhea and the bottled water to Byleth. Under the watchful eye of his sister, he made sure their hands didn’t touch. Byleth was fine with that. 

He wasn’t a fan of Rhea’s grilling. 

Thankfully, the rest of the day, she mainly focused on Flayn. She tried to rope Byleth into going toward the dance area, but he swiftly shot that down. He had had enough dancing for the year. 

As the evening wound down, Flayn complained about being tired. That was as good a reason as any to bail on the rest of the party.

“Oh, I can take her back to the church, dear brother.” Rhea gave him a knowing look. “It will give us some girl time!” 

Flayn nodded to that. “Yeah! Will you braid my hair, auntie? Father never does it right!” She always brought out the pleading eyes when she didn’t need to. 

“Well, I suppose that’s fine.” Seteth agreed, reluctantly. He looked to Byleth, who was just watching them decide what to do, holding the few pans he’d brought. They were disposable, but he didn’t want to leave them behind. “Do you need help with those?” 

Byleth looked down at his hands. “No?” 

Seteth kind of frowned at him. Oh. 

“Uh, yes?” 

That was better. 

Flayn waved goodbye to her dad and Byleth, skipping off with Rhea, chattering excitedly. She didn’t seem that tired to him. 

Seteth and Byleth stood in the sand for a moment longer, just kind of looking around and watching others leave. Soon the only ones left on the beach were the ones cleaning up the mess and picking up tables. 

“Do you want to go?” Seteth asked.

Byleth just shrugged and started walking. Seteth quickly followed. 

They walked through the town silently, listening to the bugs come out as the sun finally disappeared behind the mountains. 

As they started down the dirt path to his farm, Byleth spoke up. “So, your sister thinks we’re a couple.” 

Seteth nodded. “She has been… harassing me to talk about you since she arrived. It seems Flayn had told her quite a bit.” 

“Seems so.” 

“I tend to avoid her questions. My love lif—” he stopped himself. “My life, in general, is not her business.” He sighed. “But I would be lying if I said I did not want to hear… your opinion on what we are?” 

“I’ve never really been one for relationships, Seteth. We talked about that.” Byleth said.

“I know, but you… we….” He trailed off, glancing behind him, as if wondering how fast he could make an escape.

Byleth sighed. “But then, I’m not much for most anything you or Flayn has thrown at me. And here I am.” 

He and Seteth shared a look before he dipped his head down to catch Byleth’s lips. Byleth sighed, shifting the crusty trays in his hands to keep them from getting on Seteth’s shirt. 

Maybe he could try. He could try with Seteth. 

Seteth pulled back, much too soon, but didn’t try and run away like the last two times he had initiated. 

“We could be.” Byleth almost whispered. 

“What?” 

“If you want. I could try.” Byleth spoke a bit louder. “But you have to stop trying to leave after kissing me.” 

Seteth nodded. “Okay.” He nodded again, this time looking away. “Wow. I really didn’t think you’d say that.” 

He didn’t even think he’d say that. 

But spending time with Seteth had given him something he hadn’t had in a long time. Even before his dad had died. 

“I do request we take it… slow? I have no experience… dating… a man.” There was the awkward Seteth he was fond of. 

“Well I’m not inviting you in, if that’s what your implying?” Byleth rose an eyebrow. 

Seteth’s face flushed immediately. So much Byleth was almost worried he’d pass out. “No! That’s not what I was thinking at all!”

Byleth chuckled to himself. “I’m kidding.” 

“Oh.” 

“Not yet, anyway. It’s kind of a mess.” 

Seteth stuttered, trying to form a sentence but Byleth just shook his head. “You have a daughter, and you’re embarrassed about coming into my ratty old cabin?” 

“That’s… That’s different.” 

“Not really.” 

“Can we stop talking about this right now?” 

He shrugged, turning to unlock the gate. “You are welcome in the gate, though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got excited and posted this early than i was planning so lol
> 
> Hope you enjoy
> 
> ANOTHER FANART?  
> https://twitter.com/_seteth/status/1237561262004822021?s=20
> 
> I love you all!


	11. Chapter 11

“Are you coming to my birthday party?” It was too early in the morning to be broken down by those bright green eyes. “It’s tomorrow! Auntie Rhea is cooking for me!” 

Byleth looked over her to see Seteth smiling warmly at his kid. He couldn’t blame him.

“Sure. I’ll be there.” 

Flayn cheered. “I’m so excited! Father, are you excited?”

“Of course, I am, sweetie.” Seteth smiled at her. “My little girl is growing up!” 

She giggled before running off to chase Byleth’s cat along the fence. Seteth watched her, soft smile on his face.

Byleth yawned and sat down on the stairs in front of his cabin. He’d forgotten to lock the gate after Seteth left last night, so Flayn had let herself in. 

It wasn’t like him to sleep in, but he didn’t have much to do today, and he had been up late thinking last night. 

“We didn’t mean to wake you. Flayn said you usually wake up early.” 

“I usually do.” He nodded for Seteth to sit next to him. “I didn’t sleep much last night.” 

Seteth opened his mouth, and Byleth cut him off, knowing he was about to play concerned father on him. “Yes, I’m fine, Seteth. Just thinking about things.” 

Mostly him. They might be a “thing” but Seteth didn’t need to know what he was thinking about yet. Probably. But given how shy he got after Byleth suggested going inside at all, he wasn’t ready for that. 

They sat in silence for a moment, watching Flayn pick up and kiss the cat. He was always surprised by how patient his cat was with her. She was sweet and always gentle with her, but she ran away from almost everyone else. 

Just as Byleth was thinking about laying his head on Seteth’s shoulder and going back to sleep, Seteth spoke up.

“I don’t know how to tell Flayn.” He muttered, quiet enough she wouldn’t hear. “About us.” 

“That’s fine. We should probably wait anyway.” 

That’s what he’d heard other people do with their kids. Of course, he and Flayn already knew each other. Flayn had spent much of her summer break running around his farm. 

Seteth just nodded in agreement. 

They sat in silence for a while, watching Flayn, watching the clouds. Byleth spent some of it watching the wind blow through Seteth’s hair. 

Despite how comfortable he was, leaning against the stairs with Seteth, he still had work to do. He was still dressed in his sleep shorts and had thrown an old t shirt on when he heard a knock on his door. Typically, he woke up in the mornings and just laid in bed for a few minutes, listening to his cat purr on his chest. This was arguably better.

Well, it would be, if he and Seteth were laying under a blanket. 

He shoved the thought from his head and stood up, stretching. “I’m gonna change and get to work.” 

“Is there anything I can help with?” 

Help? Flayn had helped him sometimes by gathering debris from storms, but there hadn’t been one in a while. And Seteth wasn’t a child and could handle more. But Byleth liked doing this himself. 

“Uh, not really.” He couldn’t think of anything for him to do at that moment. Most of what he was doing now was maintenance and making sure the plants had enough water under the hot summer sun. “There’s not much two people can do right now.” 

“Okay.” 

He didn’t seem upset. Byleth didn’t know why he would have been, but he wasn’t. Instead he just laid back and watched Flayn. 

Quickly changing into some clean clothes, he came back out, going toward the field his plants grew in. He had recently built a short fence around it, in an effort to keep some of the wildlife away. It was short enough fence he just jumped over it and went to work. 

Byleth almost forgot they were there as he worked. It was repetitive work, but he liked the mindlessness of it. It had always kept him focus and let him forget about other things. The quiet of the farm, secluded from the rest of the town, had given him the peace he desperately wanted the past few years.

Maybe he shouldn’t have followed his dad into the military. At the time that seemed like his only option. He definitely didn’t want to go to college. He had been okay at school but didn’t really care for it. He didn’t have any hobbies he could pursue. At that point, he hadn’t been fishing in a few years.

And his father was the only person he really cared about in his life. Why wouldn’t he want to stay close?

Of course, he got sent away for bootcamp and he’d hated it. But he was good at it, so he kept working. 

He didn’t come here because he wanted to be a farmer, though. He came here to be alone. Part of him had never even really thought about he would do here. He had a vague idea of how to grow plants, but he’d almost hoped they’d die. And he could just be alone in his cabin, staring at the walls, all day. 

Looking over at Seteth gently scolding Flayn, though. This was way better. 

\---

Flayn’s birthday party was almost as busy as that flower festival they’d had in the spring. It was held in the park just outside of town. He had gotten there early to help Seteth and Rhea set up tables and put up decorations. 

Byleth hadn’t been to a birthday party since he was in middle school, so he was rusty on what to do. 

Flayn didn’t seem to mind. She didn’t even mind that he hadn’t got her a present. He didn’t know what an eleven-year-old girl would want, other than to pet his cat. 

She was a popular girl. Everyone who had a kid in the town was here, chatting with each other and wishing her a happy birthday. He didn’t know how Seteth had gotten so much food together to feed these people. 

He just kept his head down as Seteth talked to another parent on the other end of the table. He could probably join in, but he didn’t want to. 

“Well, my dear brother sure came back late the other night.” He didn’t recognize her voice just yet, but there was only one person who’d call Seteth her brother. 

“I guess.” 

“I wonder why he just didn’t stay the night.” 

“He didn’t want to.” 

Rhea sat down next to him. “He did seem quite happy when he returned. I haven’t seen him that way in so long.” She glanced over to Seteth. “He always has such a serious face.” 

Byleth nodded. He was always kind of serious. Had he ever heard Seteth tell a joke? Maybe that was why he was so repressed. Of course, he wasn’t really the type to get anyone to loosen up. 

“He’s always been that way. Even when we were young.” Rhea turned to him. “To think another man with a serious face could pull that out of him.” 

“I don’t have a serious face.” Byleth never thought of himself as serious, just disinterested. 

“I suppose not.” She gave him a cocky grin at finally giving her the reaction she wanted. 

“Byleth, Rhea, do you two want some cake?” Seteth interrupted what Rhea was about to say next. He gave Byleth a look saying he’d distract her if he needed. Byleth just shook his head. She was fine. A little too knowing, but fine overall. 

Rhea nodded, taking the piece her brother was holding. “Byleth and I were just having a little chat. He’s quite the interesting man.” 

He wasn’t. 

Seteth nodded. “He is.” Okay then.

“We were also talking about how serious you are.” 

“I am not!” Seteth immediately got defensive. 

“Maybe this is why I’m your only friend.” Byleth couldn’t help cracking a grin at Rhea teasing him. 

“I told you! I have other friends!” 

Rhea went into that statement, laughing at her brother’s reaction. 

Friends. They weren’t… exactly friends now. Boyfriends? They were seeing each other. Seteth had certainly opened up to kissing him. 

It was a weird word to him, but it was nice. Seteth was his boyfriend. Maybe. They hadn’t talked about what to call each other. The last week Flayn had always been around and the few times she wasn’t, they hadn’t talked much. 

As Rhea and Seteth bickered, Byleth stewed over what to call him. He hadn’t had a boyfriend since high school. And even then, he hadn’t been too interested in the guy. He had only agreed to get him to stop asking. 

But he actually liked Seteth. 

“Are you okay, Byleth?” Seteth’s voice broke through his thoughts. Woops, he’d been staring.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” 

“Well, I will go check on the birthday girl.” Rhea excused herself and winked at her brother. 

The blush on his cheeks was cute.

“Are you sure? You’re being quieter than usual.” Seteth continued. “I know this is kind of a big party. I didn’t know Flayn would invite so many people. She’s friends with everyone.” 

“It’s fine. I wasn’t thinking about that.” 

“Oh. Then… what were you thinking about?” 

“You.” 

“Oh.” Seteth glanced over where Flayn was, making sure she was out of earshot. 

“We can talk about it later.” Byleth said. “Or not. Whichever you prefer.” He rose an eyebrow, trying to be suggestive. 

Seteth went red again. “Well. We’ll decide that later, then.”

The party quickly wound down as soon as the cake was cut and the presents were opened. A couple of the other parents had eyed him and Seteth talking, but no one ever approached him. He knew there were rumors floating around about him, but as he never entertained any of them and never said anything, they typically died down quickly. 

And people just liked his produce. 

As the last guest left, Byleth started helping pick up the trash and leftover plates from the tables. 

“Byleth.” Flayn came over, with a stack of plates in her hands as well. “What were you and Father talking about earlier?” 

Byleth looked down to her, then glanced at Seteth. He was busy trying to put the presents into bags to carry back home. 

“Nothing.”

“Aw, come on! I’m eleven now. I’m basically an adult.” She pouted. 

Byleth raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you now?” Well she certainly wasn’t a baby. But Seteth didn’t want to tell her yet. “If you’re so curious, ask your dad.”

She glared at him. “He’ll tell me I’m too young, like he always does.” 

“Flayn, you’re his daughter. He just wants to protect you.” 

“I guess.” 

“I would if I could, kid.” He reached out and ruffled her hair up. Maybe he could mention something to Seteth. Not force him into telling her, but she often got upset about being too young for certain things. He was no parent, but she was growing up, as much as Seteth didn’t like it. 

“Do you like boys, Byleth?” She asked suddenly. Byleth almost dropped the plates he was holding.

“What?” It took him a second to recover. “Yeah, I guess.”

“You guess?” 

“Yes. I do.” 

“My father is a boy.” 

Byleth stared at her for a moment. Did she really say that? What was with her? 

“Yeah he is.” 

“Do you like him?” 

“That’s uh….” He certainly couldn’t say they were already kind of seeing each other. Seteth would be upset. 

“Is that a yes?” Her eyes lit up. “You should take him on a date! Father likes old movies and old songs and fishing and—”

“Flayn.” He stopped her. “Me and your dad…. Sometimes you just have to let things be, kid. See how they turn out.” 

“But….” 

“Do you even know if your dad likes boys?” 

“No….” 

“Just leave it be, kid. Trust me.” 

“Okay. Can I still come over tomorrow and play with your kitty?” 

“Of course you can. Now, we have to finish cleaning up.” Flayn nodded and ran over to help her dad finish cleaning up. Seteth looked over at him, a confused look on his face, but Byleth just shrugged. 

Flayn smiled at him, a mischievous look in her eye. Great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've wanted to write that "do you like boys" scene in like every chapter but couldn't fit it in. BUt its funnier if theyre already together imo lol.
> 
> Thanks for all the lovely comments, everyone! Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed this chapter too! e


	12. Chapter 12

The next few weeks of summer passed quickly. Seteth and Flayn were over at his farm almost every day, and Flayn had developed a habit of disappearing occasionally after staring intensely at either him or her father. Seteth seemed confused by her actions, but Byleth knew what she was up to. 

Seteth was, of course, too cautious to even give him a kiss at those times. But it was funny watching him squirm and wonder what she was getting up to. 

Their dinners on Friday nights were much more interesting. After they ate at the saloon, they typically went back to his farm, where they lit a fire and talked for a while. Well, Seteth talked. He had quite the knack for storytelling. 

Sometimes he’d tell him stories from the holy book, other times he would tell him about the constellations, and then sometimes, he’d just make up a story on the spot. 

“I’ve often dreamed about writing a children’s book.” He confessed one night. 

“Why don’t you do it?” It couldn’t be that difficult to write one, especially the way he told stories. 

“I suppose… I never really thought I could. And I have no one to illustrate it.” 

That was an obstacle. Byleth would offer, but his drawing skills were nonexistent. Art had never been part of his or his dad’s life. 

“I knew a couple artists. During my time in the military.” Maybe he could send them a letter. They had been on good terms. 

“Didn’t you leave without telling anyone?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Would they want to hear from you?” 

Byleth looked over to him. “Probably. Despite my best efforts, I was popular.” He had been away for almost half a year now. They had to be wondering about him. 

Half a year. It didn’t feel that long. 

“I’d like to see that.” 

Byleth cracked a grin. “Maybe I’ll invite all my war buddies here. Have them all stay in my tiny cabin.” 

“Somehow I doubt you would like that.” 

“I’d hate it.” Byleth agreed. “But… I should at least let a few of them know I’m okay.” They had tried to be supportive after his dad died. He just didn’t respond to any of them. 

They fell silent, watching the clouds float across the stars. The fire was beginning to die down, and Byleth knew he should toss another log on it, but he didn’t care to move off Seteth’s shoulder. 

He heard Seteth sigh and felt a hand run through his hair. 

“Do you… want to go inside?” Byleth asked. He didn’t know if that was still too far.

Seteth didn’t respond right away. He didn’t move his hand, so that was a good sign. 

“We don’t have to. The fire’s just dying.” 

“Okay.” 

Byleth couldn’t help feeling his chest tighten a bit. That didn’t mean anything would happen. It just meant he’d go inside. 

He sat up slowly, knocking a bit of dirt into the fire to let it die fully. Seteth sat up next to him, watching. 

He got up and went to his door, opening it and leaving it open for Seteth to follow. Seteth stood there in the doorway, awkwardly, glancing around. 

“It’s… smaller than I expected.” Seteth squinted in the dark house. “And dark.” 

Right. Byleth went back toward the door to click his lamp on. The light wasn’t that bright, but it was enough for them to see by.

They stared at each other for a moment. Byleth was trying to let Seteth take the lead, but in the low light of his house, and the lack of interruptions they would have, he couldn’t help but long to touch him. 

Seteth finally took the hint, leaning in to kiss him.

His hands were always so warm on his face. They were strong and smooth and everything he didn’t know he wanted. 

Slowly, Byleth took a step back towards his bed. He didn’t want to scare Seteth with moving too fast. If it didn’t happen tonight, that was fine, but he desperately did want it to happen at that moment. 

Thankfully he followed, eagerly sitting on the bed with him, his lips becoming adventurous. They traveled down his jaw and dipped low into his neck. Byleth let him, focusing himself on running his fingers through that beautiful green hair on his head. 

Finally seeing the chance, Byleth reached down, playing with the hem of one of his least favorite shirts Seteth wore. He slowly pulled it up, letting his knuckles graze against the skin of Seteth’s sides. He shivered against his neck. 

Seteth only detached himself long enough to let Byleth pull the shirt over his head and toss it to the side. As soon as it hit the floor, Seteth moved back in, taking his lips again. 

Byleth wasn’t a teenager anymore, and even though he’d never really cared much for sex or romance, he felt like one at the moment. He wanted Seteth right now. 

He leaned back, Seteth following eagerly. 

He let his hands trace through the lines of muscle on his back, reveling in finally touching him this way. All those days and weeks of staring at him, behind his back, wondering, longing….

How many nights had he laid here in his bed, imagining Seteth over him like this? 

Byleth quickly tossed his shirt to side as well, sighing when Seteth’s chest met his. He let one of his hands run through the soft hair running down his chest and stomach. 

He let Seteth set the pace. He was the one who had been so worried about this. 

Seteth pulled back from his lips, moving down to tuck his head into Byleth’s shoulder, breathing heavy against his skin. It took him a moment to realize that Seteth was shaking. It was barely noticeable, but with his hands holding his sides, he could feel it.

“Seteth?” Byleth whispered. “Are you okay?”

Seteth kept his face hidden in Byleth’s neck. “I’m sorry. I don’t think….” He trailed off.

“Is something wrong?” 

He didn’t respond right away, just breathing and tensing and relaxing the muscles in his neck. “I’ve never been with anyone but my wife. I didn’t think it would be so hard to… do this without her.” 

“Oh.” That was all he could say. What else was there? 

The both of them had lost very important people in their lives, but those people had been in different roles. Seteth had lost a woman he’d loved enough to marry and have a child with. Of course, he would have issues being with another person. 

“We can just lay here, if you want?” Byleth suggested, hoping. He wasn’t ready to let Seteth go yet. 

“I’m sorry. I know you’ve been patient and I thought I could….”

“It’s fine.” Byleth buried his face into the soft green hair by his cheek. “This is good too.” 

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Byleth just holding Seteth and listening to him breathe. Of course, he had been a little too excited earlier, but he had also tried to prepare himself that nothing would really happen. 

“Do you want to talk about her?” Byleth offered.

Seteth didn’t respond immediately.

“We don’t have to. I’m not really the guy to tell you it’ll help, but it might.” He had never really talked much himself. 

“We met at a college church event when we were eighteen.” Seteth moved to lay next to him, his eyes drifting toward the ceiling. “She was a lot like Flayn is. Happy, excited to meet new people…. She told me I was too serious once.” 

The way he talked about her was reverent, a lot like how he spoke during his sermons. Like she was someone to be in awe of. Maybe she had been. 

“You are too serious.” 

“I don’t think you can say that.” Seteth finally cracked a smile. 

“I can say whatever I want.” 

“Anyway, any time I’d see her, she would have a new joke for me. Most of them were really bad, but she was cute, so I laughed at them. I found out later she bought a joke book and memorized it to tell me later.

“I asked her to marry me before we graduated. We hadn’t really planned on having Flayn so soon, but when she told me she was pregnant, I was so excited. We’d barely been married for four months. She was such a good mother.” 

“Flayn mentions her sometimes.” It had always been in passing, and usually in relation to something Seteth did. 

“She can’t remember too much about her, sadly. I wish she still had her….” Seteth sighed. “I’m sorry. That’s a bit….”

“It’s fine.”

Seteth didn’t look like he believed him but what was there to say? He was jealous of a dead woman? He wasn’t. It was understandable that Seteth would miss her. 

“We didn’t even get to say goodbye.” Seteth closed his eyes, rolling onto his back. Byleth was tempted to follow him but he held back. “I know she wouldn’t want me to worry over it, but I do. And Flayn deserves better than that, but I don’t want her to think I’m replacing her mother or—”

“She doesn’t think that.” Byleth couldn’t stop himself from interrupting. 

“What do you mean?”

“You haven’t seen the way she’s been trying to set us up the past month?” Byleth playfully rolled his eyes. “That’s why she’s always wandering off, Seteth.”

“How do you know?” 

“At her birthday party, she practically begged me to ask you out.” 

“What? But we were already….”

“Yeah. But I knew you wanted to wait to tell her, so I told her sometimes you just have to let things be, and if they happen, they happen.” 

“I suppose… I should have a talk with her, then.” Seteth sighed. “I guess that’s why she’s always asking me about we do on Friday nights. I thought she was just being polite and sweet.” 

Byleth caught himself yawning. He glanced over at the clock on his wall, squinting against the low lamp light. It was past midnight. 

Seteth sat up, stretching his arms. “I’ll take that as a hint to go home, then.” 

“You don’t have to.” Byleth caught his hand. 

“But… Flayn will be home in the morning.” 

“We’ll wake up early.” He typically always did. The cabin wasn’t really the darkest when the sun finally came up. 

Seteth paused, thinking it over. He glanced at his shirt laying in the floor next to the bed. “Okay.” He laid back down, closing his eyes. “I’ll stay then.” 

Even if the night hadn’t gone the way he wanted, he still had Seteth next to him. And he’d be there in the morning. And that awful polo shirt was still gone. 

Byleth pulled the blankets over them and closed his eyes to sleep too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope ya'll are staying safe and healthy out there. 
> 
> I for one, dont know what tf im gonna do for the next two weeks, assuming my work opens back up the first like they want lol. Obviously write is one option lol. I'm gonna keep this fic updating every Saturday (sunday if im lazy). 
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed~


	13. Chapter 13

The sun woke him up, as it did every morning, but this morning, he felt much heavier than usual. He glanced over towards the table, seeing his beloved cat snoozing in her bed. She wasn’t the heavy thing on him. 

Looking the other way, he saw Seteth, arm slung over his stomach. Right. He’d stayed over. They’d talked.

Seteth’s wavy green hair was falling over his face and all over the pillows. His face was open and peaceful, his mouth slightly open, breathing evenly. He reached over and gently brushed the hair away from his neck. 

He glanced at the window again. It was still early, but he didn’t know how early Seteth would want to be up and back home. He really didn’t want to wake him up. 

Seteth sighed in his sleep and his arm flexed around his stomach. Byleth took that as a hint to stay put for the time being. He let his hand comb through Seteth’s hair, admiring the way the sunlight in the window played on the strands. 

The last time he’d woke up next to a man, he’d bailed before the guy even woke up. And now he was here, playing with Seteth’s hair, watching his chest rise and fall. He moved his hand around, letting his thumb trace down the line of Seteth’s beard. 

He didn’t know how long had passed, but he was twirling a lock of hair around his fingers when Seteth’s eyes finally opened. He groaned, pulling his arm from around Byleth to rub at his face. 

“Morning.” 

Seteth pulled his hand from his face, smiling softly at him. “Good morning.” He fought back a yawn. “What time is it?” 

Byleth glanced over toward his stove. “Almost seven thirty.” 

Seteth moved his arm back around Byleth’s stomach and pulled him closer. “Flayn won’t be back until nine.” Byleth felt his nose press into his shoulder. “Unless you have to get up?” 

“I think it can wait.” 

His cat took that moment to take it upon herself to jump up on Byleth’s chest. She meowed softly, pawing at his chin. 

“Well, maybe I’ll just feed her and come back.” Byleth struggled to pull himself away from Seteth. He picked up his cat and carried her over to the countertop where her food dish was. 

After he’d filled her bowl and refreshed her water, he turned around to go back to Seteth, who he caught watching him a bit too closely. Right, he still wasn’t wearing a shirt. He typically didn’t wear one to bed anyway so it hadn’t occurred to him. 

He quickly looked away, his face growing red. Byleth smirked and crawled back into bed. He picked up Seteth’s arm and took it upon himself to wrap it back around his waist. 

They laid there, Seteth dozing off again for a few minutes. Byleth just let him, watching as his face softened up again. He let his hand go back to playing with his hair. 

He’d probably have to wake him up soon. Seteth was so worried about what Flayn saw them do together. He’d want to change clothes and everything before she got there. He didn’t have anything that would fit him. 

“Seteth.” He shook his shoulder gently. “Come on, we should get up.” 

“I know….” He didn’t move. 

“Do you want something to eat?” Byleth typically didn’t have much of a breakfast, but Seteth had a kid to feed. He might eat with her every morning. “I have eggs and cereal bars.” 

“That’s what you eat for breakfast?” Seteth finally sat up, running a hand through his hair to try and get it to lay down. 

“Usually.” Byleth shrugged, watching him stretch his back out. “I’m busy in the morning.” 

“You should join Flayn and I for breakfast some time.” Seteth yawned and swung to put his feet on the floor. “I’ll make pancakes.” 

“I’d like that.” Byleth got up as well and moved toward his dresser, pulling out a clean shirt for the day. He needed to do his laundry, so it was an older, worn shirt, but it wasn’t a big deal. He’d just end up sweating in it all day. 

Seteth sighed heavily across the room, picking up his own shirt off the floor. “I should talk to Flayn today….” 

“I didn’t tell you so you could worry about it.” 

“I know. I just don’t know how to word it.” 

Byleth almost offered to go with him, but that might be weird. And Flayn was so insistent about him asking her father out, she might start squealing and he liked to limit the damage to his ears. The way Seteth was worried, it ought to be something between just the two of them.

“I’ll walk you back to the church.” Byleth offered when Seteth had set himself up for the brief walk across town. He glanced at the clock again. Flayn probably wouldn’t leave her friends place for another half hour. 

Although, if the girl did see them, maybe that would open up an opportunity for Seteth to start his conversation. 

They walked down the path from his farm back into the town, a reasonable distance away. Seteth was very much not into public affection. Even just teasing him was off limits. That was usually fine, as Byleth didn’t like to express himself outwardly much, especially around the nosey townspeople, but he couldn’t help but want to hold Seteth’s hand right now. 

Too soon, they reached the church. Seteth paused for a moment in front of the big front doors. 

“Thank you. For letting me talk last night.” He started. “I know you were hoping for something else.”

Byleth rolled his eyes. “I’m fine with it, Seteth. When it happens, it happens.” Byleth glanced around to make sure they were still outside alone before reaching to kiss Seteth briefly. 

Seteth gave him the sweetest, softest smile. “You should come over tomorrow after the service for lunch.” Hidden in the arch leading to the door, Seteth felt confident enough to reach out to hold his hand. “If you aren’t too busy, that is.”

“I think I can find time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha the boys are being sappy haha
> 
> anyway hope you guys enjoy~ 
> 
> i do have another fic in the process as well, if you wanna check it out. It wont be as sappy or silly, but hey i got a ton of time on my hands rn and im super excited about it so check it out if you like.
> 
> Thanks for reading as always!


	14. Chapter 14

“We should use this leaf for the flag!” Flayn ran across the sand and grabbed the leaf blowing by in the late summer wind. 

She had roped Byleth into building a sandcastle with her. She only had a few days left until school started back up again, and she had asked Byleth to go to the beach with her. He, of course, couldn’t say no.

Seteth was caught up with something in the church for the day, so it was just Byleth and Flayn on the beach. She had found some old sand toys in the back of her closet and insisted on building a castle with him. 

She didn’t take any short cuts with it either. After Byleth dumbed out a bucket of sand for her, she would take a stick and carve the lines of bricks into it. She had meticulously preplanned the whole structure. 

Byleth just let her. He was only here to get water and wet sand. 

“Did you ever build sandcastles growing up, Byleth?” Flayn asked as she etched some symbol in the post he’d just made. 

He shook his head. “No.”

“Why not?” 

“I only liked digging holes.” He remembered his dad fishing the few times they went to the ocean, and the little shovel he found once. 

“That’s weird.” Flayn giggled. “Why?”

He shrugged. “It’s just what I did.” 

“Did your father help you?” 

“No. He was usually fishing. I wasn’t old enough to fish with him in the ocean yet.” He had been really small at the time. 

Flayn just nodded and went back to her work. Byleth figured he’d brought her enough sand for now, he laid out next to her. Being late summer, the sun was still strong, but the fall wind was starting to blow in. 

“Byleth?” Flayn’s face appeared over him. 

“Yeah?” 

“You like my father, right?” 

“Didn’t he tell you we’re together?” 

“Yes. But do you like him?” 

“That’s typically what dating someone means.” Byleth chuckled when her face didn’t change. “Yes, I like him.” 

“Do you go on dates?” 

“Yeah.”

“How do you know if you like a boy?” 

“Do you think you like a boy?” 

Flayn stopped for a second. “No. All the boys at school are kind of gross.” 

“They will be for a while, kid.” Seteth had said she was the oldest. Of course she’d think that.

Flayn moved away from him, sitting back in the sand to go back to her detail work. Byleth let his eyes slip closed under the sun and warm sand. He wasn’t tired, but the mixture of sunlight on his skin and the sound of the waves rolling in was lulling him to sleep. 

The next time he opened his eyes, the sun was lower, almost setting. A lot of the warmth had faded away from the sand as the shadows moved over it. Flayn was still next to him, trying to pack sand into another mold. 

He heard the crunch of sand and rock near the path back to town and twisted on the ground to see who was walking down.

Seteth was there, waving to Byleth and Flayn. 

Flayn jumped up and ran to give her dad a hug, carefully avoiding her castle. 

“Did you two have fun today?” Seteth spoke down to Flayn, letting her take his hand to pull him over.

“Look at the castle we made.” Flayn proudly showed it off.

“You made.” Byleth corrected. All he’d done was lug sand around in a bucket. 

Seteth sat down in the sand next to her, examining the castle. “This is a lovely castle, sweetie.” 

Byleth watched as Flayn showed him everything she’d built, going into detail he didn’t even know could go into a structure made of sand. Seteth nodded along with what she was telling him, praising her for various things. 

“And you, Byleth?” Seteth turned to him after Flayn ran back to the water with a mold. “Did you have a good day?” 

He sat up, blinking slowly. He was still drowsy. “Yeah. It was nice. Flayn made me bring the sand over.” 

“You’re so sweet to her.” Seteth leaned over and kissed Byleth’s cheek. Ever since he’d finally told Flayn, he would allow brief touches between them in front of her. Every time Flayn saw this, she would squeal and quickly try to find something else to do. 

“Not really.” Byleth shrugged. “How was your church thing?” 

Seteth sighed. “A hassle. But it’s done.” 

“I got a letter yesterday.” Byleth had kept the letter in his pocket for two days now. 

“A letter about what?”

“My dad’s friend is retiring. He invited me to the party.” Byleth shook his head. “I don’t know how he got my address.”

“You know you don’t have to go?” Seteth looked over the paper he handed him. 

“It’s the day after my dad’s birthday.” Byleth had had half a plan to at least visit his father that day. He hadn’t booked anything yet. “I was thinking about going for that.” 

“Oh.” Seteth didn’t really have much to say about that. 

“Yeah. I… almost want to see him. He was my dad’s best friend. Probably.”

“Probably?” 

“My dad wasn’t the most social either.” Byleth almost smiled thinking back on his dad trying to avoid the man. “He used to complain about him a lot. But they always got drinks.” 

That man had tried so hard to make Byleth feel better after everything happened. He’d come up with a lot of really bad jokes. Byleth felt bad about it now, but there wasn’t anything he could do. 

Alois was probably the closest thing to an uncle he’d ever had. 

“I don’t know. Everyone will be there. It’s not for another month, but….”

Seteth reached over and held his hand. “You keep mentioning going back. Maybe it’s time to visit.” He suggested. “You don’t have to go to the party. You could always meet him elsewhere.” 

He had a point. Maybe he’d mail the guy back, work something out. Alois was always an easy guy to get along with. 

“Maybe.” If anyone knew what he was dealing with, it was Seteth. He’d also left his whole life behind due to the death of someone. “Did you ever go back to your old place?”

Seteth shook his head. “No.” 

“Did you ever want to?”

“I think about it, sometimes. Going to visit my wife’s grave. Seeing my brothers. The idea of seeing that burned church reconstructed is just too much for me to think about.” Seteth visibly cringed at that. “I don’t know if I ever could.” 

“Do you think… maybe you could come with me?” If Seteth was there, he couldn’t bail at the last second. 

“To see your dad and his friend?” Seteth looked over to see Flayn kicking the water in the ocean. Byleth could almost see him thinking it over. “I’d… have to work some things out, but I wouldn’t be against it.” 

Byleth nodded. Of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy. Seteth had other obligations here. He would also have to take care of something around the farm if he were to go away for a few days. 

“Okay. I’ll… mail the guy back, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha idk why this chapter was hard to write but for some reason it was.
> 
> I think im just going crazy without work. Anyway, hope ya'll enjoy~


	15. Chapter 15

A week later, he woke up to a letter in his mailbox. Alois had got back to him. He opened it, almost scared to read it. He didn’t know why. It wasn’t like Alois would ever be mad at him. 

The letter was just Alois being overly excited that he had got back to him. He insisted Byleth should come to the party to see all his old friends. But he had also agreed to just meet him at the cemetery to see his father. 

The thought of seeing that headstone with his dad’s name etched on it made his stomach turn. The last time he’d felt like this was when that medic gave him the news. 

He was being ridiculous. It had been over half a year. He had a new job and a new life. His dad wouldn’t want him to be like this. 

He sat on his porch and put the letter down, moving a rock over it. He just had to shove this down again. Think about the farm. Think about Seteth and Flayn and the town he’d come to appreciate. He and the carpenter lady had had a nice conversation recently. 

Taking a deep breath, he went to his crops. The corn was almost ready to harvest. The watermelons were ready. He went to picking and stacking the melons up near his house. He set one aside for Flayn and Seteth when they inevitably came over. She always liked his watermelons. 

He went to picking off the dead leaves and sprinkling the soil with plant food and water in an attempt to keep himself busy. Part of him regretted getting this down to short daily tasks. It didn’t take long for him to finish tending the plants.

His cat meowed softly from the porch, her eyes locked on a fly crawling across one of the steps. He took a position to not disturb her and watched her ready to pounce. His cat didn’t have to worry about anything. Just begging him for food and getting Flayn to play with her. What a life that must be.

She noticed him watching her and came over to rub on his legs. He took a seat on the ground and she crawled in his lap, pawing at his face. 

“I’m glad you came here.” He muttered to her. 

As much as he enjoyed being with Seteth and Flayn, they didn’t live here with him. And some nights, all he wanted was another living being near him. Or even during the day, like right now. She always came back to him. She was a really good cat. 

He laid back, his cat crawling up onto his chest to purr at him. He scratched her chin and watched the clouds float lazily across the sky. 

The dirt was hard against his back, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t fallen asleep against it before. It had been a while since he had done that. He didn’t need as many midday naps anymore. 

He sighed heavily. If he was going to go, despite the mild freak out he’d just had, he had to start booking tickets. And talk to Seteth about booking the tickets. Assuming Seteth still wanted to go with him. 

The gate creaked open. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. A quick glance at the sun let him know it couldn’t be Flayn. She was still in class. 

“I was wondering why you didn’t show up for our lunch plans.” Seteth stood over him, a fake stern look on his face. 

Byleth closed his eyes. “Right…. Sorry. I had a bad morning and forgot.” 

“A bad morning?” Seteth took the privilege of sitting in the dirt with him. 

“Alois mailed me back. He agreed to meet me outside the party if I wanted.” Byleth sighed, scratching his cat’s chin. “I don’t know.”

“Did you change your mind about going?” 

“No. I should still go.” 

“Then what’s the issue?”

“Actually seeing my dad’s headstone.” 

“Didn’t you go to his funeral?”

“Yes. I barely remember it.” All he could really remember about the service was the color of the sky and the sound of the rain in the dirt. 

Seteth didn’t have anything to say at that. 

Byleth sighed and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to drag this up again. “I think he would have liked you.” 

“You think?” Seteth’s voice had a hint of humor behind it. 

“He always pretended to hate any guy I introduced him to, whether we were involved or not. And we usually weren’t.” Byleth could still clearly see that stern look he got in his eye, and hear the gruff way he’d say “nice to meet you”. The first guy he’d been interested in had been terrified.

“He can’t have been that bad.” 

Byleth shrugged against the dirt, causing his cat to give him a dirty look. “He liked to pretend he was.” How strange it was that, the one time he really wanted to introduce someone to his father, he couldn’t. They had only met because he was gone. “He would have really liked Flayn.” 

“I may be biased, but she is a wonderful child.” 

Byleth tended to agree with that statement. 

“You haven’t really talked about him much.” Seteth continued, reaching a hand over to run through his hair. “I’ve always been scared to ask.”

“I don’t talk much in general.”

Seteth chuckled at that. “Sure.”

Byleth opened his eyes to narrow them at him. “What’s that supposed mean?”

“You like to pretend you don’t talk.” He brushed his bangs back away form his forehead. “I saw you talking to the carpenter about your farm and the shed you want. The only time I’ve seen you talk so much is when you’re telling me or Flayn about fish species. And you and our friend the saloon owner have been quite chatty lately.” 

“No, we haven’t. I just asked if he had any cookbooks.”

Seteth gave him a look that said he didn’t believe him. Of course he didn’t. 

“Okay. The point I was getting at was you can talk about him to me.” 

“It’s hard.” 

“I know.”

“He didn’t have to be on the frontline that day. But he never took the promotions or retired or….”

Seteth kept his hand steady in his hair, brushing it back. 

“I watched it happen and I couldn’t do anything.” Seeing his dad with that hole in his chest, bleeding, desperately trying to keep Byleth from panicking despite the fact he knew he wasn’t going to make it. Byleth felt the tears he had that day welling back up behind his eyes. “What was all that stupid training for, anyway.” 

The war was far, far away from the valley. It wasn’t even a whisper here. Maybe that’s why he liked it so much. A lot of soldiers struggled with coming back. He guessed he wasn’t so different from them; he was just better at shoving it all down and running away. 

Or, given the soft touch of Seteth’s thumb under his eye, maybe he wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope ya'll are doing well out there~ 
> 
> I for one want this to all be over but you know! Anyway! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!


	16. Chapter 16

He forgot how loud the city was. The moment they stepped out of the train station it hit him. He had gotten so used to the quiet calm of the valley. 

Seteth was tapping at his phone, a worried line in his forehead. He was probably texting Rhea, who’d heard about Byleth heading back home for a few days and offered to drop by to take care of Flayn. Seteth had given her a whole list of things to do with Flayn and make sure she did her homework, despite the fact Flayn was a great kid who typically enjoyed school. 

Although, he understood the worry. It was just into the new season of crops, and while he trusted he’d done his job right, he was anxious about them. And his cat. She’d enjoy seeing Flayn so much. He wasn’t at the point of texting her every second like Seteth was though. Of course, he’d also gotten rid of his phone when he moved to the valley. It would be hard to text her.

Byleth looked across the sea of cars at the station. Alois had said he would meet them and drive them to the hotel Byleth had booked for them. He was a hard guy to miss. He wasn’t overly tall, but he was loud.

“There he is!” Byleth was taken off guard by a strong grip around his shoulders, lifting him off the ground. “Have you gotten taller?” 

“That’d be impossible, Alois.” Byleth answered in his standard deadpan. 

Alois pulled back, looking him over. “You have let your hair grow longer.” He turned to see Seteth watching him. “And this must be your new friend! What a kind fellow to come with you!”

Seteth rose an eyebrow at him. Byleth shook his head. “He would have written me 8 pages asking questions about you if he knew we were dating.” 

“DATING?” Alois let out an excited whoop. “Well, I’ll be! You should’ve told me, B! I’d have asked my wife to make a special dinner for you!” 

“This is Seteth.” Byleth offered, trying to get him to settle down. 

Alois and Seteth shook hands and Alois hoisted up the small bag Seteth had been carrying. “Well, guess this is why you didn’t want to stay with me and the wifey.” Alois winked at Byleth and he just sighed in return. 

He wanted to stay at a hotel because he wouldn’t have to deal with Alois trying to reminiscence with him. He already had it booked before Seteth even agreed to go with him. 

“Sure, Alois.” 

Seteth’s face turned a little red, but a shake of the head from Byleth let him go back to texting Flayn. Alois put the bag he’d carried into the trunk of his car, letting Byleth put his own in there too. 

“Well, let’s get you kids out of here, then.” Alois slid into his driver’s seat and insisted Seteth sit next to him. Byleth happily took the back seat. 

Alois kept chatting, filling them in on everything his daughter and wife had been up to past few months. His daughter was a year from graduating high school and was starting to look at colleges. Byleth had used to be forced into babysitting her when Alois and his dad had their get-togethers. She was an alright kid, but just as loud as her dad, and when Byleth was a kid, he had even less tolerance for that.

The ride seemed to go on forever, but part of Byleth didn’t mind. He’d missed Alois, as much as he would never admit it. He was his dad’s best friend. He’d grown up with this man as almost a second father. Alois had picked him up from school when his dad was running late. He’d been at every birthday of his since he was born. His wife used to pack Alois extra for lunch to give him. 

They pulled up in front of the hotel. It wasn’t the nicest, but it was standard chain hotel. It would be nice enough for a few nights. Seteth thanked Alois and climbed out of the car to get into the trunk.

“Hey, Alois.” Byleth leaned forward before getting out.

Alois turned to smile brightly at him. “I’m glad you decided to come out, B. Even if you don’t come to the party, it’s real good to see you.” He paused for a moment. “And your dad would be happy to see you too.” 

“Yeah.” He had been ready for his dad to be mentioned, but it still stung. “Thanks.”

“Your man there is awful handsome. Quiet, but that’s what you like, isn’t it?” Alois joked.

“Sometimes. He’s worried about his kid.” 

“Ah, that explains it. Well, I’ll meet you both tomorrow afternoon at the cemetery? We can go back to my house after for dinner. I’ll barbeque something up.” 

Just like his dad used to.

“Yeah. Sounds good.” Byleth nodded to him and stepped out of the car to meet Seteth at the front door. He watched Alois drive off before going inside. 

Their check in was easy and they found their room on the third floor easily. It was a basic hotel room, complete with a nonsensical piece of art framed on the wall behind the bed. 

Byleth laid out on the bed, dropping his bag next to his table. He sighed, staring at the ceiling.

“Alois was just as loud as you said he was.” Seteth sat down on his side of the bed. “I thought you were exaggerating.”

“No, that’s his job.” Byleth sighed. “Yeah, he hasn’t changed at all. Not that he would. It hasn’t been that long.” 

“Is it okay, seeing him?” Seteth shifted on the bed to brush his hair from his face again. Byleth knew he was due for a haircut but couldn’t be bothered yet. 

Byleth closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. “Yeah. I’ll be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay Alois! 
> 
> Hope ya'll enjoy~


	17. Chapter 17

The morning sun woke him up, as it usually did. Turning his head away from the sun, he came to find Seteth’s hair. It had moved into his face with sleep and fell into his eyes. Blinking against the sleep in his eyes, he figured today must be Saturday.

Seteth’s arm was loose on his waist, like it always was when they shared a bed. Byleth reached up and brushed his hair back. There was something about how soft his face was when he was sleeping that made his chest warm. 

He caught sight of the alarm clock behind Seteth. It wasn’t Saturday. It was his father’s birthday. 

Byleth rolled on his back, sighing. He had been hoping to go back to sleep for a few minutes. 

“Byleth?” Seteth’s voice was low and tired. He must have woken him by letting his arm fall.

He turned to look at him. “Go back to sleep.”

Seteth nodded, sliding closer to Byleth to hold him again. He let him, laying there, staring at the ceiling. 

It was early but Seteth’s phone buzzed on the table next to him. Byleth reached over him to pick it up and squinted at the bright screen. 

Flayn had texted her dad. “Tell Byleth his cat woke me up super early!” She attached a picture of his cat, mouth wide and mid-meow, in front of her bowl. He smiled at the picture. 

“Who is it?” Seteth hadn’t fallen back asleep. 

“Flayn. My cat woke her up for breakfast.” 

Seteth hummed sleepily in response. Byleth reluctantly sat up.

“I have to run out. I have to pick up the flowers.” He shifted off the bed to change his clothes into something more appropriate for daytime. 

“Before breakfast?” 

Byleth shrugged. “Want me to bring something back?” 

Seteth shook his head. Byleth would anyway. He kissed Seteth goodbye and grabbed his keycard. 

He hadn’t walked the city streets in what felt like years. It was before he left to fight in the war. He didn’t miss it. 

Even this early, it was loud. It was a weekday, so the streets were crowded with cars and people trying to get to work on time. A few people bumped into him as he walked, not even turning around to apologize. 

Not that he would have either. 

The florist took a minute to find his order, bringing out the white flowers and handing them over. He tried to make small talk about what they were for, but Byleth brushed it off, thanked him, and left as quick as he could. The last thing he needed was pity from a stranger. 

When he got back to the hotel, having stopped at a café along the way to grab food, Seteth was in the shower. Byleth set everything down on the dresser and sat on the bed, staring at the wallpaper.

“That didn’t take long?” Seteth came out, dressed, toweling off his hair. 

“It’s not far.” He nodded to the dresser. “I brought you food.” 

Seteth sat down to eat, making Byleth sit with him. He picked through his own bagel. It was hard to eat knowing he’d be seeing that white, stuffy gravestone today. Seteth let him space off instead. 

They walked silently to the cemetery. By now, most people were at work, and the street was much quieter. Byleth could see Seteth taking in the sights as they walked, but he never asked to stop or talk about anything. 

The city wasn’t much to look at, really. He’d been in much nicer places, with sprawling parks and landmarks that people came to see. This city was just an average place to live. 

The cemetery was well kept. The grass looked as if it had been cut that morning. Seteth paused on the trail, reading a headstone. It looked old, the stone beginning to chip a little. They kept everything up well here, but it was hard to maintain old stones. 

At some point, his own father’s would be like that.

“Do you know where your father’s is?” Seteth asked, stepping away from it. “These are all very similar.”

“Yeah. He’s toward the back.” 

Seteth stopped a few more times, taking a moment to point something out, or comment on the dates of someone’s gravestone. Byleth didn’t mind. He didn’t like being here, but he’d take anything to prolong reading his dad’s name on one of those. 

It didn’t take long enough. 

Seteth wasn’t too far behind him, walking through the gravestones now. Byleth stopped in front of one, one of the only ones under the shade of a tree lining this section of the cemetery. It looked like all the other ones they had passed.

“This is it.” Byleth said, laying the flowers down on it. 

Standing in front of it, Byleth felt his stomach twist. He regretted eating what he had this morning. Part of him almost expected the dirt to still be turned over, everyone who attended the burial still in their suits, holding back tears. 

Seteth caught up to him, kneeling down to read the inscription. Thankfully, this time, he didn’t read it aloud. Byleth already knew what it said. He had spent enough time staring at it. 

“Last time I was here, it was raining.” Byleth looked up to see a few clouds float lazily across the sky. “I expected it to again.” 

He felt Seteth reach out and take his hand. He didn’t say anything, just held his hand. 

“He used to tell me he’d like to be buried next to my mom, but he never told me where she was.” Byleth sighed. “I should have tried harder to get him to tell me.” Knowing his father, she was all the way across the country. He’d never even told him her name. He had to find out from his birth certificate. 

“Do you know what happened to her?”

“She died in childbirth. With me. Dad only talked about her a few times, but every time he did, he got this awful look in his eyes, so I didn’t ask often.” Byleth sighed. “I guess I can understand now.” 

When he was younger, he wondered if his mother would like him. Most people when he was a kid found him strange or creepy. That changed as he got older and out of elementary school, but some still tried to tease him for it. He never really cared. 

As Byleth was mulling over his childhood, the sound of boots crunching in the grass came up beside them. He didn’t even have to look up to know it was Alois.

“Hey kid. How you holding up?” His usual loud, boisterous tone gone.

Byleth just shrugged in response.

“That’s what I thought.” Alois took it upon himself to give him a one-armed hug, squeezing his shoulders. “Jeralt would hate seeing you this upset, B.”

“Yeah.” 

“Would like one of my classic jokes? Your old man used to love them! I ought to tell one in honor of his birthday.” 

Byleth nodded, knowing it was easier than letting Alois try to convince him further. Seteth seemed rather excited to hear his terrible joke. 

Alois hummed for a minute, thinking. He had a million terrible jokes trapped in his head. It would take a minute for him to shuffle through them.

“Have you heard the one about a man and his giraffe?” Byleth just nodded and let him tell it anyway. His dad had always said it’s easier to just go along with it. 

Seteth tried to hide his laughter behind his hand at the absurdity of the joke. At least, that’s what Byleth hoped he was laughing at. The joke was terrible, even from Alois’ standards. 

“Alois, how did you come to know Jeralt?” Seteth asked.

“We were in bootcamp together.” Alois puffed his chest up. “I knew on sight he was a good man to have around. The others said I followed him around like a puppy.” Byleth had heard this story a million times, but it was a nice story. “No matter where he or I got stationed, every year he sent me one of Byleth’s school photos and a short letter. I always wondered why he never called.”

“Dad hated talking on the phone.” That was something they shared. 

Alois went on, talking about a story of them in the military as young men. Seteth seemed invested, laughing along at the stories. Byleth had heard them all before. He thought they were dumb as a kid, but now, he just wanted his dad to scold Alois for telling them again. 

As he was spacing out, Alois slapped him on the back. “Hey, you hungry?” 

“Not really.” 

“Nonsense! Sure you are. What about you, Seteth?” 

“It’s getting close to lunch time.” Byleth looked over to Seteth. 

“Let’s head out then.” Alois let go of Byleth’s shoulder. He stepped forward to clap his hand on the headstone, like he used to do to Jeralt. 

“I’ll catch up to you.” Byleth said, watching as the two of them started to walk away. 

Alois nodded and headed back down the path.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I won’t be long.” 

Seteth nodded and followed Alois down the pathway, glancing back at him. Byleth offered a short wave before he turned back to the marker. 

He had planned on saying words, like everyone else always did when they visited graves likes this. Talk to his father like he used to. He’d been thinking about it since he made plans to come out here.

He wanted to tell his dad about Seteth and Flayn, and how much he enjoyed spending time with both of them. About the terrible movies Seteth made him watch. About watching Flayn take an interest in parts of his farm. About how he had somehow made himself a successful farmer. 

But speaking aloud to an inanimate stone that only carried his dad’s name seemed pointless. His dad wouldn’t hear that. He wasn’t alive under the grass, and Byleth didn’t believe in an afterlife. Talking to it wouldn’t do anything except make him even more aware his dad wasn’t here. 

Instead he just stared at it. 

Byleth sat down on the grass, trying even out his breathing. He didn’t like crying. He really didn’t want to cry anymore about this. 

Alois and Seteth were waiting for him. Alois was probably telling him so embarrassing story about his childhood, embellishing the details to make it worse. He should save him from that. 

At the same time, he wasn’t ready to leave. 

How could he have left so much unsaid? Everything he wanted to tell his dad had happened only because he was gone. 

Byleth covered his eyes with his hand, trying to will it all to go away again. He hated being here. He hated this cemetery and he hated this city. 

He wanted to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting close to the end folks~~
> 
> Hope ya'll enjoy!


	18. Chapter 18

Alois’ home was the same as it ever was. Overrun with pictures of him and his family, well-loved furniture, and a constant track of background orchestral music playing. A few new frames had appeared on the wall since he’d been here. 

As they walked in, Alois shouted down his hallway toward the kitchen. His wife came around the corner, arms open wide, and took Byleth into a crushing hug. Alois was strong, but sometimes, his wife was even stronger when it came to hugging. Byleth let her coo over him, glaring at Seteth as he hid his laughter. 

“It’s so good to see you again, Byleth!” She let go of him to rest her hands on his shoulders. “I’m so glad you came out.” 

Her eyes drifted over his shoulder to Seteth standing behind him. “And you must be Seteth!” She let go of him to trap Seteth in a crushing hug as well. “I hope Byleth has been treating you well! You know he can be a bit stuffy.” 

Byleth rolled his eyes. 

“He’s been perfectly wonderful.” Seteth told her, finding a way to wiggle out of the hug without appearing rude. 

“Good. I’d have to smack him if he weren’t!” She turned to point a finger at Byleth. “You, young man. You gave us a right scare when you took off like that.” She jabbed it into his chest. “Just because something bad happens doesn’t mean you leave without a word!” 

Byleth let her get the rant out. He knew a few people would be mad at him and expected some of the people coming to the party tomorrow would also like to yell at him. 

She finally wore herself and sighed. “Dinner is almost ready. Once Sydney gets home we’ll eat.” She nodded to her husband who followed her into the kitchen. 

Seteth looked like he was about to ask Byleth who that was. “Alois’ daughter. She has dance practice after school.” Byleth told him, leading him into the living room. 

They both took a seat on the couch there, listening to Alois’ wife bustle around in the kitchen. It was strange sitting here, in a room he had spent much of his childhood in. He and his dad had lived all over the country, but Alois always let them stay here when they were in town. 

Byleth sighed and leaned back into the couch. 

“How are you doing?” Seteth asked, his voice quiet. “You were gone for a while.”

He shrugged. “I’m alright. I’ll be better when we’re back in the valley.” As much as he actually missed Alois, he wanted to be home in his own bed. He wanted his cat and his daily routine. They were only here for another day before leaving, but today had been a lot. 

Dinner with Alois and his family was the same as it always had been. They were all loud and Byleth just forced a smile on his face. Alois brought up some old stories of him and Jeralt, many of which he’d heard before. 

Seteth laughed along with the family, bringing up stories about Flayn when given the opportunity. Seteth always loved talking about his daughter. Not that Byleth could blame him. She was pretty great. 

Thankfully dinner ended without him having to participate too much. Alois offered to drive them back to their hotel, but not until he offered the spare bedroom again. 

“You’ll be back again tomorrow for the party, right?” Alois asked in the car. 

Byleth sighed and nodded. “I don’t like parties, but I’ll come.” 

“You don’t have to stay long. I’m sure the others would love to see you, too!” 

Alois had repeated that a hundred times in the short letters they exchanged leading up to this. He was sure if he’d kept his old phone he would have blown it up with messages like that too. He couldn’t fault Alois for trying so hard. He was just worried about Byleth, and Byleth had given him every reason in the world to worry. 

The car ride back, Alois let the radio play and just hummed along with it. Seteth watched him from the front seat, a furrow in his brow. Seteth was also a worrier. How had he gotten himself into this? 

Back in the hotel, Byleth immediately laid out on the bed, staring at the ceiling. 

Dinner was fine. He might have enjoyed it more if he hadn’t just seen his father’s tombstone. 

“You were distant at dinner.” Seteth pointed out, sitting on the edge of the bed to remove his shoes. 

“I’m always distant.” 

Seteth let out a short huff at that. “You pretend you are. But yes, you do often pretend.” He turned to him. “But I can tell how much Alois and his family love you, Byleth. And you barely spoke during dinner.”

“They know how I am. And Alois knows how hard I took… everything.” He really didn’t want to think his dad’s death for the eightieth time tonight. 

Seteth gave him a stern look. The same look he gave Flayn when she started to get sassy with him. He was about to get a lecture.

“I just never learned how to talk to Alois.” Byleth groaned before Seteth could launch into it. “He’s always been loud and my dad always made him calm down before talking to me. I grew up with him, but he and I never really connected.” 

And now with his dad gone, did he really even have a tie to him? He hadn’t talked to him for a half a year and barely thought about him since. Alois was a good man and a good father, but Byleth had never seen him as anything outside his father’s friend he sometimes stayed with. 

Something in the back of his head made him regret that. 

Seteth stretched out on the bed with him, brushing his hair away from his face. Soothing him, as always. “Perhaps you could try. Alois knew your father before you were born. You may want that someday.” 

“I guess.” It wouldn’t be easy to get over twenty-something years of emotional distance from the man, but if Seteth thought it was a good idea, he’d at least try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back at work, so please bear with me if i get weird upload times. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy.


	19. Chapter 19

Byleth was dreading this party. He had on his nicest shirt that he’d brought with him, a flannel, and the one pair of jeans he had that he hadn’t torn on the farm. It was a little warm for this, but it was a party and Alois had requested everyone look semi-nice. 

He had had to stop Seteth from wearing a tie. When Alois said semi-nice, he meant no shorts and no t-shirts, not a shirt and tie. Seteth had protested but he eventually gave in and just wore his dress shirt and slacks. 

As they approached the door to the house, it was already loud. Alois had left the front door open for whoever wanted to come by. They weren’t late, but they weren’t the first to arrive and there was already a crowd.

“Oh my god. Is that Byleth?”

He hadn’t even made it out of the doorway yet.

An arm came around his shoulder and he slumped under it. 

“Hello Claude.”

“Aw, your best friend only gets a cold greeting after so long?” Claude gave him an easy smile. Nothing phased this guy. “Alois said you might come tonight, but I really doubted it. You never come to parties.”

“I don’t like loud things.” 

“And who’s this with you?” Claude turned his attention to Seteth standing beside him.

“My boyfriend. Seteth.” Byleth turned to him. “Seteth, this is Claude. We used to room together.”

“Wow, B, never thought you’d settle down with someone!” Claude shook Seteth’s hand. 

“Nice to meet you.” 

Once Claude opened up the gates, everyone else came flooding in around him. Alois was a well-liked man, so there were a few dozen people all crammed into his house. The majority of his old friends were here, along with a few of his superiors that he got along well with. With his dad being so close with Alois, that meant Byleth was close with all of these people as well. 

A few of them lectured him about his irresponsibility in the wake of his father’s death. He just rolled his eyes. 

At some point, he and Seteth got separated, Claude probably dragging Seteth off to drill into him. Claude was nosey, but he usually kept other’s business to himself. He just liked to know it. 

After the excitement of seeing their old friend died down, Byleth was left with some room to breathe. This was a party for Alois and here he was, stealing the show. 

He found a quiet seat at the dining room table to sit down for a moment. It was still loud in the room, but it was away from the others. He sat down, holding the cup of punch he’d had forced on him. Knowing these people, someone had probably spiked it. It was probably Katherine, or Manuela. 

“Byleth?” He’d know that quiet, stuttering voice almost anywhere.

He turned to see Bernadetta standing there, her shoulders hunched up, and her eyes wide with worry.

“Hey.” He nodded to one of the chairs. 

Bernadetta took the hint and sat down. 

He had always wondered why Bernadetta joined the army. She wasn’t big or eager to get out there. She was timid and stayed in her quarters by herself most of the time. She did have impeccable skill with a rifle, though. 

“How are you doing?” She asked him, raising her voice a bit to be heard. 

“I’m fine.”

“I heard… you’re a farmer now?” 

“Yeah. It’s going well.” 

“I’m going to leave soon too. The army, I mean.”

“Any ideas what you’re going to do?” 

“I want to study carnivorous plants….” 

“That’d be cool. And quiet.” 

“Yeah.” 

He and Bernadetta had never had such a long conversation. Most of them ended with Bernadetta either crying or running away from him. 

They stayed in silence for a while, Byleth just watching the party go on in the other room. One of the guys, Sylvain, was dumping a bucket of water over his head, while Alois’ wife was yelling at him. 

In the corner of the room, he noticed Claude with his arm slung over Seteth’s shoulder, talking to Hilda and a few others. Seteth had an awkward smile on his face. 

Byleth couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. 

“What are you looking at?”

“Seteth.” He saw the confusion on Bernadetta’s face. “Oh, uh, my boyfriend.” 

“You have a boyfriend?” 

Byleth nodded. “He’s the overdressed one with green hair.” 

“He seems… interesting.”

“He is.” 

“Do you love him?”

“What?”

“Do you—”

“I heard. I just… I never thought about it….”

With that Bernadetta got up and left him alone. She was never one for graceful exits. 

Byleth was alone again, at a party where he knew everyone. He watched Seteth in the other room, Claude shaking his shoulder and laughing at him. Seteth was always a little stiff. Nothing like himself, but awkward and weary.

He heard footsteps behind him digging in the counters. Byleth turned to see Alois pulling a roll of towels out.

“Alois.” 

Alois turned to him, a bright smile on his face. “Byleth! I hadn’t seen you yet! I saw Seteth, but I guess you’ve been hiding!” 

“Not really.”

Alois just laughed at that. “I know you ain’t a fan of parties, kid.” 

“Hey, uh….” Byleth stopped himself. He knew he needed to apologize for everything but actually saying the words was harder than he thought. 

“What is it?” 

“I…,” Byleth paused, finding a spot over Alois’ head to stare at while he gathered himself, “want you to come visit some time.”

Alois’ eyes widened at the offer. “Really?” 

“Yeah. I don’t have much space, but you and your family should come visit.” It wasn’t an apology, but he could tell by the way Alois was staring at him, it meant something.

“You sure we won’t be too loud?”

“Plants don’t care about noise.” Flayn was always loud, and the crows that hung out on the edge of his farm loved screaming at him. 

“I was talking about you.”

“Oh.” Of course, he was. Byleth didn’t know why he immediately thought Alois didn’t know plants couldn’t hear. “I’ll be fine.” 

“Well, kid, we’ll have to take you up on that. Probably not until the summer, or spring break, for Sydney, but we’d love to come see the place you’ve made.” Alois took a seat next to him, looking off in the distance. “You know, your old man told me a couple stories about that old place. That’s how I knew where it was to send the letter. I figured you’d run out there after everything.” 

He never thought he’d become a farmer, and actually be good at it, but here he was. He’d had a great first year out there, met a wonderful man, and despite his best efforts, made a couple of friends in the town. 

“He’d always hoped you’d take that old farm over one day.” 

“Why didn’t he ever tell me about it?” 

“His uncle died in a real awful way, from what he mentioned. Jeralt never talked too much about what happened, but he’d basically watched him die slowly. I don’t think he ever got over it.” Alois laughed to himself. “You two have never been good at talking about your feelings.” 

“I guess.” 

“Well, kid,” Alois stood up, knowing when to end a conversation. “The wife will want me to clean up that mess I said I would. You oughta go out and have some fun.”

Byleth just nodded, not excited at the idea of going out there. He saw the way Seteth was being dragged about just for being associated with him. It would be worse when the others saw him back out there.

But Alois was right. He should go at least try to save Seteth. 

It was like Claude was a hawk, swooping down the second he saw Byleth to drag him off to their old friends. Well, Byleth’s old friends. Claude had never stopped talking to them. 

The moment he was back in the living room, he was being pulled by his arm to the group. He found himself standing next to Seteth again, and Seteth giving him a small reassuring smile. 

The rest of the night passed with everyone asking Byleth questions about his farm, if they could come to visit, and why he didn’t tell them he was leaving. The night dissolved as more and more people got more and more drunk and quickly lost ability to hold a conversation. Alois’ furniture was littered with drunk soldiers either sleeping or on the brink. 

Seteth himself had had a bit to drink but wasn’t too drunk himself. Byleth had refused alcohol. He’d never enjoyed it. 

The two of them snuck out the back door out onto the patio. Byleth took a seat on the stairs leading down to the well-kept lawn Alois liked. 

“Your friends are quite interesting.” 

“That’s one word.” Byleth laughed. They were a lot. 

“I have never heard so many war stories in one night.” 

“They like talking.” 

“They all talked a lot about you, too.” 

Byleth sighed. He knew where this was going. “I shouldn’t have just left without a word. I know.” 

Seteth didn’t say anything to that, just sat down and shrugged. “Perhaps.”

“I invited Alois to come visit some time.” Byleth changed the subject. “He said they will after his daughter graduates, probably.” 

Seteth hummed. “That’s good…. I’ve been considering inviting my brothers out as well. It’s been so long. Rhea’s been pestering me about it.” 

“Can your place handle two other people sleeping in it?”

“Well….”

Byleth laughed. It wouldn’t, but he was sure Seteth would find a way to make it work, if it happened. 

Byleth leaned over onto Seteth’s shoulder. The night sky wasn’t as bright as it was back home. Here, all the city lights drowned out the stars, and even the moon seemed dimmer. But night breeze was just as soothing. 

For the first time in the city, the quiet didn’t bother him so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait on this one, fellas. Things have been crazy and exhausting and I just haven't found the energy to write much.
> 
> Next chapter will be the finale. Originally, I only planned this to be around 10 chapters lol. But I redirected the course of the fic and it derailed everything. 
> 
> Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed! See you next time!


	20. Chapter 20

Fall quickly faded into winter. As the leaves drifted away on the wind, snow quickly took its place. 

The fall had ended well for Byleth and his farm. With the Valley Fair giving him a boost in local attention, he’d made a substantial profit to help him prepare for next year. As the season had winded down, he’d worked on turn up some more soil to plan out his crops for next year. 

The cold weather revealed that his little cabin didn’t hold heat very well. Even with a fire blazing in the fireplace at his feet, he still found it too cold to sleep. So, with the season, Seteth had encouraged him to spend nights at his place. Flayn really liked that idea, insisting on trying to get his cat to sleep in her room. She never did, favoring Byleth’s feet instead. 

So as the snowfall kept up, he spent his evenings above the church, eating dinner with Seteth and Flayn, watching movies with them, letting Flayn coo over his cat. 

He and Seteth still made a point to drop by the saloon every Friday to catch up with some of the others in town. It was as if people sensed Byleth was trying to change his behavior, because they all came flocking to him. Especially the young adults in the town. Many of them, as he discovered, longed to leave this area, or to go study elsewhere and come back after a time. They wanted stories of life outside the valley, in the big cities of the world.

They never seemed pleased with his stories. 

It was on one such night, a few weeks into the winter season, that the local carpenter approached him. 

“I hear that old cabin ain’t treating you so well this winter.” She came up to him once Seteth had been dragged away by the town drunk to dance. 

“You could say that.” 

“You know, I can build houses.” She leaned against the table he was sitting at. “I’d even give you a discount, on account of you bringing back some life to this town.”

A house. He had never even considered tearing down that old cabin. But staying in that apartment above the church was so much warmer and it didn’t creak as much, and he didn’t have to worry about the roof leaking.

“I can see you’re considering it. How about we set up a time where I can walk you through what I can do? We can talk space, floorplans, whatever.” She knocked on the table, giving him a smirk. “You and our beloved priest there have been awful cozy. I’m sure his little girl’d like more space too.” 

She left him with that, seeing Seteth stumbling away after getting twirled around the dance floor one too many times. 

As Seteth sat back down, taking a long drink from his glass of water, Byleth mulled over the words she’d said to him. 

Right now they were practically living together already. They had meals together, Flayn dragged him out to play in the snow in the morning, his cat had taken a liking to sitting on top of Seteth’s fridge, and after Flayn was in bed, Seteth and Byleth laid on his bed, never talking that much, just enjoying being close. 

None of them would ever admit it, but it was a bit small for three people. Flayn’s room was small, but Seteth’s basically only had room for his bed. He had given up the larger bedroom for his daughter to enjoy when they moved in. 

He had spent spring, summer, and fall expanding his farm, thinking only of the plants and land. Now that he was trying to be better in his relationships, perhaps his friend had a point. 

He caught her eye across the saloon floor and nodded. She beamed and nodded back, giving him a wave. He’d stop by tomorrow morning. 

\---

She worked fast. Before he knew it, she was tearing down the old place and breaking ground on what would be his new house. She said it would be hard to work through the winter, but the way his farm was shielded from the wind, it wasn’t impossible. And she seemed more than eager to try and finish it before spring. 

He had asked that she try to keep it a secret from Seteth and Flayn. He knew it was hard to keep a project like that from them, but without any work to do on the farm, they had no reason to come by. 

The new house wasn’t cheap, but after the way he’d finished the growing season, he had more than enough to cover it and get started again in the spring. 

\---

He was a little worried he was assuming too much, building a house in secret to ask Seteth to move himself and Flayn into. They hadn’t talked about it at all. They both had jobs that they lived at. Seteth asking him to move in would be taking time away from the farm. 

But the church only had people over a couple days a week, and it was never early when people did drop by. Seteth had even mentioned once it was the easiest place for him to live when he moved here. It didn’t take any searching on his part. 

Perhaps he didn’t even like living there. That was why he never really decorated it. 

He hoped Seteth would say yes when he asked. He hoped he found a way to ask before spring came.

\---

He got his opportunity while outside rolling snowballs for Flayn. 

“What are you going to get my father for his birthday?” 

Byleth must have had a confused look on his face because she continued. “It’s the same day as the festival for the Winter Star! You can’t just get him nothing!” 

“I didn’t know when it was.” Now that he thought about it, Seteth missed his birthday too. Of course, he hadn’t bothered to mention it, so how could Seteth have known. 

“He never told you?” 

“It’s never come up.”

“When is your birthday, Byleth?” 

“September.”

“WHAT?” Flayn threw down the snowball she had been holding. “We missed it!”

Byleth shrugged in response. Birthdays never meant much to him, once he’d passed the age of twelve. His dad had taught him to drive on his sixteenth, and then let him have a drink at twenty-one. 

Where they had always celebrated his dad’s birthday with a nice dinner, usually steak, a few days later, Byleth always asked for nothing. His dad usually got him a small gift, some money or a gift card, but that was it. 

“What do you think your dad wants?” Byleth asked, trying to get away from his own birthday.

“I’m making him cookies! Auntie Rhea is gonna surprise him with my uncles! She’s gonna help me bake them!” Flayn put a finger to her mouth. “But you can’t tell him!” 

Byleth swore he wouldn’t. 

As he watched Flayn stomp around in the snow, making small snowpeople as she went, he thought about the house being built just a short walk away. Could he ask Seteth to move in with him while his whole family was there?

Rhea would probably push him to do it. But Seteth’s brothers hadn’t seen him in a long time. Did they even know he was dating a man? 

The festival wasn’t that far off, just a few weeks. That gave him plenty of time to work through his question and how to phrase it. He would try not to dwell on it so much. 

\---

After hanging out at the saloon for a few hours the following Friday night, they walked back to the church. The snow was falling heavy, but there was enough of a gap in the clouds overhead to let the moon shine down. 

The village had been decorated for the upcoming festival, colorful twinkle lights and holly lining the roads. There was something magical about the lights and moon playing off the new fallen snow. 

Seteth was walking a bit in front of him, his hands in his pockets, and shoulders hunched up a bit. He’d grumbled on the way there about forgetting his gloves and scarf. Byleth had laughed at the time, offering his own, but Seteth refused. It had only gotten colder as they sat in the saloon. 

Something possessed him to crouch down in the snow and ball some up in his hand. Something else possessed him to throw it directly at the back of Seteth’s head. 

Seteth slowly turned around to stare wide-eyed at him. “What are you—”

Byleth already had another snowball ready, hitting Seteth right in the chest. 

“Byleth! Are you a child?”

Byleth just rose an eyebrow, scraping more snow together. 

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” 

“Do not throw that snowball.”

“Why not?”

“It’s cold!”

Byleth shrugged, tossing the snowball up and catching it. “That’s what makes it fun.” 

He pulled his arm back and Seteth turned to start running. He took off across the bridge, trying to get to the church before Byleth decided to throw it again. 

The snowball missed him, crashing into the railing of the bridge in front of Seteth. Seteth stopped and turned to glare at him again. 

“Please.” 

“What?” Byleth tossed his new snowball between his hands. “It’s just a little snow, Seteth. I’ll give you a free shot.” 

Seteth glared at him for a moment more before scraping some of the snow off the bridge railing. He packed it together, grumbling about the cold snow on his bare hands. Byleth opened his arms to make himself a bigger target for Seteth. 

The snowball hit him square in the chest, crumbling and falling off his coat. Even Seteth couldn’t keep the hint of a smile off his face. 

After a few more snowballs tossed at each other, most of them missing the other, they found themselves breathing heavy in front of the church. The falling snow had picked up and the temperature dropped, making even Byleth, with his thick gloves and hat, cold. 

Byleth leaned against the church, watching Seteth bent over trying to catch his breath. He was beautiful out in the snow. The way his hair caught the snow, the red in his cheeks from the cold. 

“I love you.” Byleth muttered out into the wind. There was almost no way Seteth would have heard him. 

Seteth turned to him, eyes wide. “What?” 

Well. 

“Uh….”

“Did you say you love me?” Seteth straightened up and came to stand by the wall next to him. 

“Yes.” There was no use denying it. They had been together for over half a year but for some reason, Byleth worried that it was too soon. That they weren’t the type of people who just said that. He’d broken a boundary no one was supposed to cross. 

Seteth’s hand came to his face, turning it toward him. “I’ve been waiting for so long to hear that.” Seteth’s lips gently pressed against his, the kiss warm. “You’re always so distant. I didn’t want to push you. But I love you too.” 

“Really?”

“Of course.” Seteth smiled at him. “What did you think? I’d just let you stay in my house with me and my daughter because we were just dating? You know I’m very protective of her.”

“I don’t know what I thought.” 

“Well, now we both know.” Seteth kissed him sweetly again. “Let’s go inside. I’ll make us some hot chocolate and we can enjoy the quiet night.” 

\---

Seteth’s brothers and Rhea arrived a week later. Seteth had gotten up before Byleth, leaving him to sleep in, his cat snuggled against the back of his head. 

The knock on the door woke him up. 

He heard Seteth grumble a bit to himself before he heard the door open and a few loud male voices chattering excitedly. That made Byleth sit up finally. He grabbed a pair of pajama pants he’d left laying in the floor and pulled them on as his cat climbed up his back onto his shoulder.

“Seteth, what is going on?” He came out of the bedroom, trying to flatten his hair. 

“Is this him, Rhea?” A voice he didn’t recognize said. Byleth groggily looked to see a man with very similar features to Seteth. 

“It is. I hadn’t realized they’d moved in together, however.” Rhea laughed. “We didn’t mean to interrupt.” 

Seteth came over to Byleth standing in the hallway. “Byleth, these are my brothers, Macuil and Indech. I… didn’t realize they would be here this morning.” 

Byleth suddenly realized he’d come to meet his boyfriend’s brothers half dressed.

“You can call me Mac.” The one who was presumably Macuil said. “We didn’t mean to wake you two up.” 

The other brother spoke up. “Where’s Flayn?”

“She stayed the night at her friends house. She’s probably on her way back.” Seteth explained. 

“Is that the cat she’s been raving about?” He pointed at Byleth’s cat on his shoulder.

“Probably.” Byleth shrugged. “She really likes her.” 

“And here I thought our dear brother had finally given into her demands for a pet!” Macuil laughed. 

“Flayn doesn’t demand things. She’s always very polite when I tell her no! She is a sweet girl.” 

Seteth’s brothers ignored him, moving into the room and sitting on the couch, with Rhea sandwiched in the middle, laughing at them. 

Byleth leaned over to Seteth. “I’m gonna get dressed.” 

“Yes, please do.” Seteth let him go. He himself was still in his fluffy pajamas, but he was at least decent, and among family. 

When Byleth came back, Seteth had moved the dining chairs into the living room to sit stiffly on and talk to his brothers. Byleth took a spot in the corner, scratching his cat’s head as he watched the reunited siblings. 

“So, Byleth,” Macuil turned to him. “What do you do?”

“I have a farm.” 

“You’re the farmer man Flayn talks about then.” 

“I guess.” 

Rhea chimed in. “His farm, from what I’ve seen, is very successful. He made a very popular farming magazine in the fall.” 

“I did. The woman who interviewed me asked so many questions….” Byleth shook his head. She had been very talkative. 

As Macuil was starting a new question, Flayn came through the door. 

The brothers both stood up and Flayn rushed over to them. They immediately launched into how big she’d gotten and how grown up she looked. 

With both men distracted, Seteth went back into the kitchen to finish the breakfast he’d been interrupted making. Byleth followed him. 

“You don’t seem very happy they’re here.”

“I am.” Seteth sighed over the stove. “I just haven’t seen them in so long. Since my wife, and now they’ve walked into see me and you….” He shook his head. “My brothers loved her, perhaps more than they liked me. I don’t want them to try and compare you two.”

Byleth shrugged. “Does it matter if they do?”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re not the ones dating me. They don’t even live here. If they don’t like me, what, I’ll see them maybe a few times a year?” 

“You don’t care what they think?”

“It’d be nice if they liked me, but it’s not their life.” 

Seteth seemed to think for a moment. “I think Indech would appreciate that….” 

\---

Seteth’s birthday was a few days after that. It was hard cramming 6 people into that small apartment, and Byleth couldn’t even offer his farm, in favor of keeping his secret. 

And also the snow and cold. 

Indech and Macuil seemed to enjoy teasing their older brother. Byleth had never really got a hold of who was born first, but it seemed like Seteth was the oldest. Or maybe that was just because he was a father and had learned to keep his siblings in check. 

Flayn ate up the attention her uncles gave her. Of course, as Seteth’s birthday was on a holiday known for gift giving, they had brought her gifts. Mostly clothes and accessories Rhea had said she would like. 

Seteth’s birthday party wasn’t much. They had made Byleth take him out for the morning, where they ended up fishing in the ocean for a few hours, and come back around lunch time to see they had decorated the apartment with birthday banners. Rhea and Flayn had made cake and cookies. There were presents sitting on the dining room table. 

Byleth went to put the fish they’d cleaned in the freezer as the siblings force their brother to sit down in front of everything. 

“You didn’t have to get me gifts.” He insisted when Rhea shoved one in his hands. “I really don’t need anything.” 

“Seteth, you have no decorations in this house. You need things.” Rhea gave him a look that made him sigh and open the boxes his siblings had given him. 

He thanked his siblings for the gifts, and from the tone of his voice, he really appreciated them. Byleth watched beside him, seeing the old photos of family and friends. Rhea had commissioned an artist to paint the valley. It wasn’t very accurate, apparently she had just used an old picture, but Seteth seemed to like it all the same. 

The presents were all done by the time it was time to leave for the town’s festival. 

The town had been decorated at the start of the month with garlands and lights to celebrate, but tonight they had outdone themselves. As Byleth and Seteth had walked through earlier, they had seen the mayor and a few other setting things up. 

Seteth’s brothers went into a story about how they used to live here and what the festival was once like. Flayn ate it up, following them around the food tables and asking questions. 

Seteth and Byleth let them go on and found a table for them all to sit at. Rhea had drifted off herself, probably to find something to eat as well, leaving them alone.

“Thank you for being so patient with them.” Seteth said, reaching out to Byleth’s hand on the table. “And thank you for spending my birthday with me.” 

Byleth glanced over at the others, still at the tables. They seemed to have gotten into a conversation with a couple of the local moms. 

“I did kind of get you a present.” Byleth said. He hoped Seteth saw it that way. 

“What? I thought you didn’t—”

“That’s just my own birthday.” Byleth shrugged. 

“Then why didn’t you give it to me with the others?”

Indech and Macuil came over and sat across from them, chatting amongst themselves. Byleth stood up and motioned for Seteth to come with him. 

“Did we interrupt?”

Byleth just shook his head. “I just have to show Seteth something.” 

The brother’s glanced at each other before turning back and both winking at Seteth. His face went red. 

“Come on.” Byleth grabbed Seteth’s hand and pulled him toward the path leading back to the farm. 

“The celebration’s just started. We didn’t even eat yet.” Seteth protested, still following behind him.

“We’ll be back in a moment.” 

Seteth fell silent and just followed him. 

As they got closer, the frame the carpenter had built came into view. It was still in the early stages, nothing more than an outline of how big the house would be, but the foundation was set, and the four corners were up. 

“What—”

“I’m having a house built.” Byleth said before he could rethink his decision. “It’ll be big enough for you and me and Flayn, and it’ll have a spare room. For your family, or Alois, or whoever.”

“You… built a house.” Seteth stared up at the big wooden frame in awe. “For… me?”

“For us.” Byleth went to stand in front of it. “The cabin was okay, but we barely fit in my old bed, and it was cramped in the morning, and Flayn couldn’t stay.” He was rambling a bit, a habit he never really had before, but then, he had never asked a man to move in with him. “And your place above the church isn’t really big enough for you and Flayn either.”

Seteth joined him up on the steps from the foundation. “Flayn would love living on this farm….” He said, more to himself.

“Would you?” 

Seteth gave him a long stare. Byleth could see him running through a list in his head. He drifted over to the starts of plumbing that had been put in. His friend had marked where walls would go and what pipes would lead where. 

“We could wake up together every morning.” Seteth said, talking to himself again. “Have breakfast before you tend to your crops. I’d head out after to tend to the church. Flayn could have more friends over….”

“Is that a yes?”

Seteth turned to look at him finally. That wonderful soft look he always had when they were together was there. He walked back over to him, gripping Byleth’s face in both hands and giving him a long kiss.

“Yes. I’d love to move in with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll.
> 
> Sorry about the loooooong wait for the final chapter. Work has been a monster, and I moved, and now I'm getting a surgery I need, and things have just been super super busy. 
> 
> But it's done! I hope you all had a great time on this journey with me! I'll be working through my other fics soon as well. I gotta get back in the habit lol. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope I'll see you on my other fics or on twitter. Thanks to those who did art as well. That was super cool to see. 
> 
> Hope all of you are well and continue to be so. See ya!

**Author's Note:**

> These chapters will be longer than my other story. Preferably around 3000 to 6000 words, depending on where it feels natural to end. It will also be much shorter. Probably around 10 or so chapters. 
> 
> I may or may not change the rating later. We'll see where my whims take us. 
> 
> I'm still working on the one-shots sequel to Discovery, and the angsty one-shot for Crimson Flower, but they may or may not happen before christmas lol
> 
> feel free to hit me on twitter @snick_snack_ or tumblr @myswordhandtwitches!


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